In both China and the United States, educators are committed to the provision of rigorous academic instruction in inclusive environments to students with disabilities. This paper presents the reflections of the authors from the 2004 U.S.-China Conference on Educating Students with Special Needs held in Beijing, China in June 2004. The authors…

Physical therapy in school settings focuses on outcomes and is based on meeting the educational needs of the child or student. Despite the expansion in delivery models beyond direct one-to-one intervention, and the use of multiple team members, to achieve outcomes for students in educational environments, there continue to be shortages of physical…

Recent legislation from IDEA 1997 to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act--Revised of 2002 (No Child Left Behind) and the pending reauthorization of the IDEA--present challenges for administrators of special education programs and building-level administrators that oversee educational programs for all students on a daily basis. This article…

The requirements of (NCLB) and the 2004 reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) emphasize higher standards and achievement of all students. Fundamental changes are being implemented in organizing for instruction, staffing, and differentiating instruction. Leaders recognize the wall must come down between general and special education…

An interview of 12 caregivers of African American children with mild disabilities from a large Midwestern city was conducted in order to obtain information on their views and experiences with needs and services provided for families of children with mild disabilities. Results revealed interesting information regarding most frequent and most…

The Special Education and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001 required post-16 institutions to have implemented the Disability Discrimination Act Part IV (DDA) 1995 by September 2005. In this paper a lecturer in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) and a specialist teacher of the visually impaired from the Centre for Special and Inclusive Education at a…

In recent years a growing body of evidence has implicated deficits in the automaticity of fundamental facts such as word and number recognition in a range of disorders: including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, apraxia and autism. Variously described as habits, fluency, chunking and over learning, automatic processes are best…

This article describes efforts to examine the validity of a screening process that provides objective data for multidisciplinary team meetings where consideration is being given to teacher referral of a student for assessment and possible placement in special education. In this study, the accuracy with which this process, called Problem Validation…

Worldwide, distance learning programs offer opportunities for education and career enhancement for those who have access to a computer and the Internet. However, some potential students and instructors who have access to these technologies cannot fully participate because of the inaccessible design of courses. These individuals include those with…

Over the years, Ms. Lane's third grade mathematics classroom had become increasingly diverse. Challenged by the growing population of English Language Learners (ELL) and her need to change her teaching practice to meet their needs, Ms. Lane selected to study how best to teach one of her greatest challenges, Ana, a Latino ELL who also had a…

This case study examines the life journey of a self-directed adult learner who has made remarkable achievements in overcoming a difficult educational beginning in early childhood, as well as personal trauma in adulthood. The subject has shown determination in seeking out his own opportunities to learn in spite of major drawbacks, chief of which…

The special education profession in the USA has witnessed a recent struggle between researchers who defend a positivistic approach to knowledge and practice and "postmodern" special educators who challenge that approach. An analysis based on a sociological theory of heresy provides insight into the social and professional dynamics operating in…

This paper describes early efforts underway at City College, New York, to introduce a disability studies content into an otherwise traditional special education programme. The paper draws on previously funded research projects that merged humanities-based disability studies in education, prior teaching experiences and excerpts from the writing of…

Background: Older people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are a growing population but their age-related needs are rarely considered and community services are still geared towards the younger age group. We aimed to examine the mental health and social care needs of this new service user group. Methods: We identified all adults with ID without…

While many states and territories in Australia were initially a little slow to develop a strong momentum towards inclusive educational practices, this has been addressed quite dramatically in the past ten years. Acknowledging that each jurisdiction in Australia has its own department of education and determines its own educational directions this…