The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) both require that educators utilize instructional practices based on evidence in the literature when providing special education and related services to students with disabilities. This article provides a description of a special type of literature…

This article examines a case out of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit: "Ridley School District v. M.R and J.R. ex rel. E.R." (2012). The case is the first circuit court case in which the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act requirement that special education services be based on peer-reviewed research…

Federal legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504, and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, mandates that individuals with disabilities be integrated in all aspects of life from education to employment to independent living. A recent development involves a settlement reached between the United States and the…

Steven R. Forness is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His research has primarily focused on early detection and eligibility of children with psychiatric disorders for special education services in public schools. As part of an ongoing oral history…

In 2007, services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act were provided to almost 6 million students with disabilities (Data Accountability Center, 2011). By virtue of their eligibility, these students were entitled to a "free and appropriate public education" (FAPE). To ensure that students receive FAPE,…

Students with disabilities are increasingly receiving services in the general education classroom, and as a result, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are using a variety of flexible models to meet the needs of these students. Although some schools continue to provide pullout service delivery models for speech-language therapy, many are…

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (1996) estimated that 10% of the United States population has a disorder of speech, language, or hearing, with proportional distribution among members of racially and ethnically diverse groups. Individuals of Hispanic origin are the fastest-growing minority group in the country. Current national…

With ongoing collaboration among general education teachers, special education teachers, related services professionals, and parents, students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) can receive a quality education alongside their typically developing peers. This article provides strategies to promote the successful inclusion of students with ASDs…

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 has become an increasingly important mechanism in providing services to students with disabilities in public schools. Because Section 504 is a civil rights law, responsibility for its implementation involves a range of school-based professionals, including administrators, general education teachers,…

Since passage of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act in 1975, professionals and parents have disagreed concerning how to define and implement the related services requirement of the law. Some states have enacted statutes or regulations establishing eligibility criteria; however, many have not. Although a number of due process and court…