Students with disabilities have been inequitably served by the United States educational system for decades. This research study explores general education teachers' beliefs and pedagogical approaches to the incorporation of students with disabilities into their classrooms. 22 general education teachers (teaching grades 1-5) participated in a…

Ten high school special education teachers were interviewed on their perceptions of the process in place for transitioning students with mild to moderate autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In many cases, it was determined that although through individual education plans (IEP), students with mild to moderate ASD were provided accommodations and…

Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), transition needs and services are to be discussed as part of the Individual Education Program (IEP) planning process, and decisions based on students' future goals are to be documented in the IEP. These transition requirements were included in IDEA in order to plan with the student,…

The author is a special education teacher in New York and a mother of two children on the autism spectrum. The author's intimate involvement in the education system has made navigating the world of special education for her children easier in some ways, but also infinitely more difficult and heartbreaking in others. Since the passage of No…

This action research started in year 2009 at LIU Shanghai, a private school for children with autism spectrum disorder, to serve the needs of challenged students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the strengths and challenges of the program, plus solicit recommendations from the parents and teachers for making improvements. The…

The purpose of this research is to analyze elementary school counselors' views about the individualized educational program. This is a descriptive research that based on a survey and interviews. A questionnaire consists of 18 questions about the implementation of individualized education programs were administered to 45 school counselors from…

This brief paper summarizes research findings concerning the identification and implementation of effective practices in early childhood intervention for children with disabilities. First, research documenting the effectiveness of early childhood intervention is noted and the importance of developing individualized programs within integrated early…

These two newsletter issues of the National Transition Alliance (NTA) for Youth with Disabilities present articles concerning the transition of youth with disabilities from school-to-work (STW) and related informational items. The first issue contains the following articles: "Bringing a Complicated System into Harmony" (focus on the…

This article reviews use of individual education plans (IEPs) for children with disabilities and giftedness in Great Britain. The review emphasizes that IEP effectiveness depends on the contexts in which they are generated and the range and quality of the data on which they are based. The need for an effective, comprehensive review and evaluation…

This article summarizes findings presented in a report by the Audit Commission on the provision for children with disabilities. It discusses widespread dissatisfaction with student assessment, development of statements, resource allocation to support children with special educational needs, and procedures to ensure services are effective.…

The study examined the Philadelphia school district's program for mildly handicapped students. It provided descriptive data related to mixed categorical classes, described students enrolled in the mildly handicapped program, provided descriptive data on the content of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and attempted to determine the…

This document presents a "Quality Program Indicators Checklist" developed with the goal of program improvement in classrooms for students in Kentucky with moderate and severe handicaps. The checklist evaluates program effectiveness in six component areas: (1) integration (interaction opportunities and teacher behaviors supportive of…

This paper examines issues in gathering data for purposes of making accountability decisions for students with disabilities. The first section describes five alternative methods being used: (1) administration of norm-referenced tests; (2) focus on results or outcomes; (3) Individualized Education Program aggregation; (4) secondary analysis of…