Teachers and parents often find special education law complex and confusing. As one step for a basic foundation in special education law, a previous "TEACHING Exceptional Children" article (Zirkel, 2005) provided a snapshot of the "top five case concepts" based on 10 decisions from the Supreme Court. Each of these decisions…

Childhood cancers are the second leading cause of death among children. Common childhood cancers include leukemia (34%), brain tumors (23%), and lymphomas (12%; Kaatsch, 2010). Fortunately, survival rates related to these diseases have been increasing (Phillips et al., 2015). There are approximately 388,500 survivors of childhood cancers, with…

Since the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (IDEA's forerunner) in 1975, an important requirement has been Child Find activities. According to Shapiro and Derrington (2004), Child Find is broadly defined as the entire range of activities, including public awareness, identification, referral, eligibility determination, and…

William is 9 years of age, residing with his parent within the boundaries of an unnamed district ("the District"). As a student with autism he is eligible for special education programming and services. There was one issue presented for this due process hearing: What was the appropriate program and placement for him for the 2008-2009 school year?…

Chris resides with his parents and attends school in an unnamed district ("the District"). During the second half of second grade, Chris started to have problems with reading and written expression. The District evaluated Chris and did not find problems significant enough to identify him as having a learning disability. At about the same time his…

Anna is a 13-year-old student who has a learning disability and is eligible for special education and related services. Anna's parents enrolled her in the Private Academy for fifth grade; her frustration, inappropriate behaviors, and inattention had increased during fourth grade. In its year-end report, the Private Academy described Anna's…

This article describes the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS), a measure designed to identify the emotional and behavioral strengths of children and adolescents. The 52-item BERS assesses five areas: interpersonal strength, family involvement, intrapersonal strength, school functioning, and affective strength. A case study of a…

This article discusses how systems of care for students with emotional and behavior disorders use service coordination to create and maintain linkages among schools, families, and social service agencies. It describes how service coordination teams operate and explores the role of teachers on these teams. (Contains references.) (CR)

This article profiles a third-grader with physical and learning disabilities to exemplify the use of physical and occupational therapy in school and the teamwork required to achieve inclusion and to facilitate a comprehensive educational program. Providing related services in an educational environment is discussed, along with legal requirements.…