Presented in a question-and-answer format, this article examines family concerns, goals, and expectations related to students' use of assistive technology. A chart shows possible goals, potential positive outcomes, potential negative outcomes, and possible responses of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team. Four case studies illustrate…

This article describes how parents may use individualized education program reviews, prehearing conferences, and mediation to resolve parent-school disputes in accordance with Public Law 94-142's due process hearing system. Specific guidelines for meetings with school personnel are offered. Examples are given of prehearing conferences and parents'…

This survey investigated caseloads and time associated with assessing, planning, developing, and updating Individualized Education Programs and providing direct and indirect instructional services, for 100 special education resource room teachers and 80 speech pathologists. Special education teachers saw more students during an instructional…

Congressional intent and regulations, and court decisions interpreting the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, recognize the preference for mainstreaming handicapped children. Cases discussed indicate that mainstreaming is secondary to the goal of the Act to provide an appropriate education that meets the unique needs of each handicapped…

A survey of 100 Wisconsin secondary schools found that students with disabilities did not use a full range of vocational programs, that only 37 percent of students had participated in vocational assessment activities, and that half had vocational goals included in their Individualized Education Programs. Results are discussed in terms of access…

This article describes how to identify sources of children's learning opportunities, how families and practitioners can work together to choose natural learning environments as a source of learning opportunities, how to use children's interests for involving them in everyday learning opportunities, and how an intervention plan can increase…

The experiences of three students (elementary, middle school, and high-school students) with significant disabilities who had been members of an urban general education classrooms for at least 3 years are described. Students were provided with accommodations and modifications, however, there was a lack of connection between Individualized…

This article describes the activities of a national group of assistive technology professionals known as the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology Services (QIAT) Consortium. The work of the Consortium is discussed and the current set of indicators is included. Processes used in the development of the indicators are described. (Contains…

A study involving 114 educators of students with profound and multiple learning difficulties, interviews with 20 head teachers, and observation in four British schools, found student assessment was largely informal, Individualized Education Programs were often lacking in detail, and about one-third of teachers had no special education…

This article examines the contextual, conceptual, and empirical foundations of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) in general educational settings. The need for schools to design effective responses to increases in individual problem behavior and the need to be compliant with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are discussed.…

Family-professional partnerships have been recognized through research and supported through legislation as critical components contributing to the positive development of children with disabilities, yet current practices and services need significant improvement. In practice, families and service providers often experience difficulty in…

Successful inclusion of very young children with disabilities in natural environments requires professionals to have specialized skills including: collaboration with the child's parents and caregivers and other professionals, ecologically valid assessment of the child within the context of his or her natural environment, and the design of an…

Assistive Technology (AT) devices and services have been legally mandated for several years. However, the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Act Amendments P.L. 105-17 (IDEA1997), which states that every student with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) must be considered for AT, had enormous implications impacting approximately six…

This Australian study examined the emergence of collaborative processes when introducing co-teaching a unit of work into classroom practice. Six teams of regular and special educators at three primary schools (students aged 6 to 12 years) volunteered to systematically reflect on their co-teaching activities to design, implement, and evaluate a…

This paper deals with the way the vision of including children with special educational needs into their home school, constituted for instance in UNESCO's "The Salamanca Statement and Framework on Special Needs Education", has merged with other contemporary discourses (ideas and practices) in Icelandic education. In particular, the paper…