We reply to three critiques regarding our reporting that White, English-speaking children are much more likely than otherwise similar racial, ethnic, and language minority children to receive special education services in the United States. We show how each critique is unsound. We present further evidence of the robustness of our findings.

As school psychologists, educators and parents most often approach us with questions relating to a concern. We have the privilege of serving students in their natural learning environment where skills and behaviors can be observed and analyzed, where interventions can be created and tested, and, hopefully, where a positive change can be made…

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHCA) was legislated in 1975 in part to provide funding to states, parent centers, and research centers, for supporting access to public education for students with disabilities. In 1975, the intent of EHCA was to find children with disabilities and ensure that children were evaluated, identified,…

In this response to Spaulding et al.'s examination of state education agency (SEA) guidance on severity ratings, these authors contend that Spaulding et al. provided an incomplete view of current practices in public schools. These authors state that, ultimately, school speech-language pathologists (SLPs) must follow all state regulations and local…

Asperger's syndrome, first listed in the American Psychiatric Association's manual of mental disorders in 1994, affects two to six of every 1,000 Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. People who have the disorder often have social difficulties, verbal and nonverbal communication problems, and repetitive and restricted…

The adoption of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and the Education for All Handicapped Children's Act, now the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), have had a major impact on the delivery of services for children with special needs. In light of the legal issues surrounding the delivery of special education…

Forest Grove School District v. T.A. involved a student with learning disabilities, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and depression (T.A.) whose parents had moved him to a private academy for students with special needs without first consulting with his public school. In the past, the school district had found T.A. to be ineligible…

In May 1997 and March 1998, the Midwest Center for Postsecondary Outreach, in conjunction with St. Paul Technical College, hosted a video teleconference in which four other professionals and the authors appeared. Although they answered some of the questions submitted, due to time constraints, they were unable to respond to a number of the…

Considerable debate exists about the failure of the federal government and the states to fully fund the special education mandates that have been placed into law and further expanded by case law. Work in local school districts is increasingly affected by the deliberate decisions that have created legal requirements for districts to provide…

The author examines how the courts have interpreted the related services mandate in P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, and offers some guidelines as to what is and is not required in terms of psychotherapy, health services, physical plant accessibility, parent training and counseling, and extracurricular activities.…

This article discusses the rise of students with dysphagia in schools and addresses issues associated with serving students with dysphagia in the public education setting. The role and preparation of the speech-language pathologist is serving children with dysphagia, and the accompanying continuing education and ethical requirements, are outlined.…

Focuses on articles about students with disabilities and claims that the following are the main themes: (1) campus factors supporting student success; (2) participant label ambiguities; and (3) research methodology selection. Concludes that there is a need for more research addressing staff development, accommodations, needs of specific disability…

This epilogue to a series of articles on the management of dysphagia in students and the role of speech-pathologists emphasizes the need for a team approach to the management of children with swallowing disorders and the importance of interaction between clinicians in the school setting and clinicians in medical environments. (CR)

This article discusses the role of speech-language pathologists in serving preschool children with dysphagia. Current approaches to feeding and swallowing intervention, etiologies and programs, transdisciplinary teaming, developmental and feeding evaluation, and types of service delivery models (home-based and center-based) for preschool children…

This introductory article describes following articles (EC 625 128-134) that address processes and issues related to offering care for children with swallowing disorders in the public school. Procedures for screening, assessing, and treatment, issues involved in establishing a dysphagia program in a school system, and legal and ethical issues are…