Adam Coolidge lives with his parents in the Riverdale Local School District, which is in rural northwestern Ohio. In spring 1996, prior to enrolling Adam in kindergarten, his parents met with district representatives to discuss moving him from an early intervention program under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). His…

The incidence of children identified as having autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is increasing (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, 2003). Many of these children are enrolled in general education settings, posing an ever-growing challenge for the teachers in those settings. There is a critical need to develop…

This study investigated the nature of kindergarten children's understanding about and attitudes toward disabilities. Interviews with 77 Canadian children enrolled in inclusive classrooms showed that kindergarten children (a) conceptualize disabilities chiefly according to physical appearances and (b) possess a fairly accurate understanding of some…

Poor social functioning and limited play are characteristic of children with autism. Increasingly, education for children with autism is provided within mainstream settings, but given their particular difficulties, the adequate provision of educational services in such settings is challenging. This study presents observational data of the play…

Discusses negative aspects of young children's free play, including aggression, sharing, violent themes, and the exclusion of children with disabilities. Offers resources to early childhood educators for managing these concerns. (JPB)

This paper traces the mainstreaming of American Jewish history and social studies in the American Jewish school curricula, a process which began in the 1920s and picked up momentum in the mid-late 1930s and 1940s. From the beginning, the "raison d'etre" for teaching American Jewish history and community studies was articulated in terms of…

This study examined strategies for initiating social interactions with peers, among 4 children with hearing impairment, aged 33 to 36 months, attending a special early education center or a regular kindergarten. The study investigated initiation type (related to partner's hearing status) and rates of initiation success/failure vis-a-vis hearing…

This study explored factors that lead alternative education program completers eventually to drop out of school. When compared with alternative school peers who went on to graduate, certain differences emerge. Those disengaging are more likely to be students of color with lower achievement scores who do not easily engage with school or prosocial…

English as a Second Language (ESL) and mainstream teachers' collaboration has largely been presented in policy as the unproblematic sharing of ideas. However, in the 20 years since this policy has been in place within Victoria, Australia, teachers are still struggling to find ways of effectively working together. This paper presents a theoretical…

This study compared the school performance of a sample of slow learners who qualified for special education as learning disabled with a sample of slow learners who did not qualify for special education. The intent of the study was to determine which group of slow learners was more successful in school in order to know if special education or…

Throughout its evolution, school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) has explicitly promoted the perspective that it should involve all students in a given school setting. However, the literature on SWPBS has not always fully and clearly addressed the involvement of students with severe disabilities. This article will (a) briefly review the…

Significant numbers of children with emotional and behavioral disorders receive services in settings other than general education, but it is expected they will return to a less restrictive environment. Reintegrating these students once they have completed treatment is a significant problem. Students can demonstrate improved behavior and…

The passage of current educational legislation such as the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" (IDEA) and the more recent "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act has increased the desire for greater inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms. Serving the need of all students in inclusive classrooms…

This report presents the Council of the Great City Schools' findings and recommendations for improving the general education intervention and special education services of the Boston Public Schools. The report places special emphasis how the instructional program serves students with disabilities districtwide. The process that the Council used to…

This article presents a description of current practices in educating students with mild intellectual disabilities in regular schools in Jordan. The data were obtained using several methods, including interviews with special education staff at the Ministry of Education, summaries of documents and published research related to resource rooms and…