Barbara C. Gartin

Idea 2004: The IEP

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is an essential component in providing a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to individuals with disabilities. The 2004 amendments of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) have attempted to reduce the paperwork requirements of the IEP, while simultaneously ensuring that the goal of FAPE is met. Furthermore, the legislation attempts to bring the requirements of IDEA and NCLB into better alignment. Legislative changes to the IEP are described, and possible implications are discussed.

A New IDEA Mandate The Use of Functional Assessment of Behavior and Positive Behavior Supports

The provision of appropriate educational programs for students with disabilities continues to be clarified through amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990. Required in the latest amendments, in 1997, and the subsequent publication of the regulations in 1999, are a research-based method known as functional assessment of behavior (FAB) and a behavioral change strategy known as positive behavior supports (PBSs). This article provides a legal base for and describes the steps in implementing an FAB; it also provides examples of appropriate PBSs and their use with students with disabilities.

Written Language Expression Assessment Instruments and Teacher Tools

Written language is a complex set of skills that facilitate communication and that are developed in a predictable sequence. It is therefore possible to analyze current skills, identify deficits, plan interventions, and determine the effectiveness of the intervention. To effectively accomplish these tasks, educators need to choose appropriate assessment tools. The authors discuss the strengths and weaknesses of informal written assessments and of standardized written assessments. A table of the better known and more frequently used standardized written language assessments is presented that includes test title, publisher, Web site URL, normative group, indication of its focus (spelling, style, or mechanics), age of normative group, and method of administration. This information will help readers in the selection of written language assessment tools.

Guiding IEP Teams on Meeting the Least Restrictive Environment Mandate

Two diametrically opposed beliefs are held concerning the meaning of the least restrictive environment (LRE) when determining the class placements of students with disabilities. One group adheres to the placement philosophy that the LRE is always the general education setting. The other group believes that the LRE is where the students’ needs may best be met. The controversy concerning placement has resulted in a number of court cases that can provide guidance to individualized education program (IEP) teams when discussion of the LRE occurs. A checklist for use in IEP meetings is offered.

Using Functional Behavioral Assessment with Individuals with Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities

As a result of inherent cognitive and language difficulties, individuals with mental retardation/developmental disabilities often are considered difficult to assess appropriately. When cognitive and language difficulties occur in conjunction with behavioral issues, this difficulty is compounded. The IDEA requirement to include a form of assessment, known as functional behavioral assessment (FBA), is seen as one method that may reduce this problem. A description of the strengths and weaknesses of FBA, the steps in implementing the assessment, and its use with individuals with cognitive deficits as well as behavioral issues is provided. Finally, a case study simulation illustrates the process.

Teaching Children with Hyperlexia

inclusion movement and the government’s focus on “leaving no child behind,” educators have begun to identify a group of children who have difficulty learning but do not fit into more commonly understood categories of disability. One little-known category of exceptionality is known as hyperlexia. For teachers it may be a quandary for program development as they confront children who exhibit a group of characteristics that seem to conflict with each other. Thus, the teacher may note “characteristics of precocious reading development and disordered language acquisition, with concomitant social and behavioral deficits” (Kupperman, Bligh, & Barouski, n.d., p. 1). According to Charlotte Miller (1999): Hyperlexic children are intelligent, often highly-gifted individuals. They have an intense curiosity and interest in learning. Older hyperlexic children may often be highly verbal and obviously academically gifted. These gifts at times may be so obvious that little attention is paid to the language difficulties of hyperlexia, or to the very nature of the hyperlexic learning style. Only through an understanding of these language difficulties, and the visual and gestalt processing style of these children, can we help them to maximize their potential.

How to Handle Students Exhibiting Violent Behaviors

odays teachers and students are constantly at risk because of the increase in violent crimes within schools. According to the Uniform Crime Report (1981), 18.5 percent of all arrests involving violent crime are committed by individuals who are under the age of eighteen. In fact, it has been estimated that juvenile misconduct of a violent nature leading to adjudication may occur in up to 95 percent of the nations youth under the age of twenty-one (Siegel and Senna 1981). Often these children and youths are labeled unofficially as delinquent, conduct disordered, or antisocial (Rock 1992). Whatever the label, though, various forms of juvenile misconduct, rule breaking, and especially violent behaviors are commonplace in public schools today. Continued occurrences of violent behaviors instill fear in both the teachers and the students who attend the public schools (Boesel 1978). Needless to say, this atmosphere is not conducive to the provision of a safe environment in which to learn. Because of this fear as well as other contributing factors, many students believe that for their protection they must carry some type of weapon to school (Parade Magazine 1992). In this article we will try to alleviate some of these fears by discussing possible causes of violence in the classroom and by outlining steps to prevent or reduce the impact of students who exhibit violent behaviors.

The Inclusion Controversy Emerging Patterns in Case Law

Neither P.L. 94-142 nor its amendments, the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990, refers to the terms “inclusion” or “mainstreaming,” addressing only the issue of placement in the “least restrictive environment” (LRE) for students with disabilities. Beginning in 1989, the federal courts began to address the issue of the inclusion of students with disabilities into the regular education classroom as a method for meeting the least restrictive environment mandate of federal legislation. As a result, functional definitions of LRE and its impact on the issue of inclusion have emerged in case law decisions during the decade. These decisions have provided educators and administrators with guidelines concerning appropriate placements, use of records from other school districts for program and placement decisions, and types of required documentation. As litigation concerning inclusion increases, it is imperative that educators be aware of and understand the implications of these legal decisions. We review federal and circuit court cases related to the issue of inclusion and interpret the impact these decisions are having on the special education process as well as the effect this controversy and subsequent legal decisions are having on the educators who are involved.