Special Education Law, Policy, and Practice – serie

The purpose of this book is to assist readers to use better practices when developing educationally meaningful and legally sound Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Beginning with the history and purpose of IEPs, this book examines the context and reasons IEPs were first created. The core chapters address better practices in conducting assessments, developing present levels of academic achievement and functional performance statements, crafting measurable annual goals, determining special education services, and monitoring and reporting on students’ progress. The authors also discuss placing students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment (LRE) and provide forms and graphics to assist in developing students’ special education programs.

The purpose of this book is to assist readers to use better practices when developing educationally meaningful and legally sound Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Beginning with the history and purpose of IEPs, this book examines the context and reasons IEPs were first created. The core chapters address better practices in conducting assessments, developing present levels of academic achievement and functional performance statements, crafting measurable annual goals, determining special education services, and monitoring and reporting on students’ progress. The authors also discuss placing students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment (LRE) and provide forms and graphics to assist in developing students’ special education programs.

People with disabilities have traditionally been denied access to sexuality education or the free expression of sexuality. Through a disability studies lens, this book considers the historical, legal, and ethical implications of sexuality education for people with disabilities. Editors Gibbon, Monaco, and Bateman and their contributors discuss the roles of family, culture, entertainment, education, and social media as they relate to sexuality education and explore contextual concepts such as intersectionality, the range of disabling conditions, and the connections between adolescent development and disability.The text concludes with recommendations to support people with disabilities in the transition to adulthood. The editors advocate for public policy improvements and a call to action for students, teachers, and families.

People with disabilities have traditionally been denied access to sexuality education or the free expression of sexuality. Through a disability studies lens, this book considers the historical, legal, and ethical implications of sexuality education for people with disabilities. Editors Gibbon, Monaco, and Bateman and their contributors discuss the roles of family, culture, entertainment, education, and social media as they relate to sexuality education and explore contextual concepts such as intersectionality, the range of disabling conditions, and the connections between adolescent development and disability.The text concludes with recommendations to support people with disabilities in the transition to adulthood. The editors advocate for public policy improvements and a call to action for students, teachers, and families.

This book provides resources for the identification, selection, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based practices to promote positive outcomes for learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across the lifespan and to enhance their quality of life. The decision-making process for identifying and selecting evidence-based practices to address the academic, behavioral, and social needs of this population of learners is discussed, followed by a systematic description of the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based practices within the context of ongoing assessment and data-based decision making. The authors present evidence-based training models for solving the common dilemmas of selecting, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based practices. Finally, the book underlines the importance of developing collaborative partnerships with families and other professionals to better address the needs of learners with autism spectrum disorder.

This book provides resources for the identification, selection, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based practices to promote positive outcomes for learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across the lifespan and to enhance their quality of life. The decision-making process for identifying and selecting evidence-based practices to address the academic, behavioral, and social needs of this population of learners is discussed, followed by a systematic description of the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based practices within the context of ongoing assessment and data-based decision making. The authors present evidence-based training models for solving the common dilemmas of selecting, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based practices. Finally, the book underlines the importance of developing collaborative partnerships with families and other professionals to better address the needs of learners with autism spectrum disorder.

The Essentials of Special Education Law distills the legal complexities of special education into a practical resource for preparation programs as well as professionals in the field. Written and organized with college students and practicing educators in mind, this book serves as a go-to guide to the historical underpinnings of special education, the six pillars of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), essential court cases that have propelled the field of special education to where it is today, and practical application tips to ensure legal compliance. With 45 years of combined special education legal experience, authors Andrew Markelz and David Bateman present the essential components of special education law like never before.

The Essentials of Special Education Law distills the legal complexities of special education into a practical resource for preparation programs as well as professionals in the field. Written and organized with college students and practicing educators in mind, this book serves as a go-to guide to the historical underpinnings of special education, the six pillars of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), essential court cases that have propelled the field of special education to where it is today, and practical application tips to ensure legal compliance. With 45 years of combined special education legal experience, authors Andrew Markelz and David Bateman present the essential components of special education law like never before.

This book provides a primer on the (a) dispute resolution system of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), (b) the U.S. Department of Education, IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and (c) online resources to locate special education law. The book also provides a presentation of all policy letters on special education issued by the U.S. Department of Education in 2020 and a synopsis of all special education cases heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals in 2020 brought under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504.

This book provides a primer on the (a) dispute resolution system of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), (b) the U.S. Department of Education, IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and (c) online resources to locate special education law. The book also provides a presentation of all policy letters on special education issued by the U.S. Department of Education in 2020 and a synopsis of all special education cases heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals in 2020 brought under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504.

Advocating for the Common Good: People, Politics, Process, and Policy on Capitol Hill offers a rich and accessible guide to policy making in the nation’s capital, beckoning us to get to the table, make our voices heard, and reinvigorate our policy making institutions. Jane E. West parts the curtains and brings us behind the scenes with a simple framework that enables both the novice and the experienced to deftly navigate the Washington maze. The four Ps—people, politics, process, and policy—are each examined with an eye toward what a successful advocate needs to know. Informed by her forty years of experience as part of the policy making apparatus in education and disability, expert interviews with those in the room where it happens, a deep dive into congressional procedures, and the scholarship on public policy, Dr. West delivers a powerful call to action. This jargon-free guide provides students, professionals, and the public with practical tools and a proven step-by-step process to both analyze existing policies and plan advocacy strategies to change policies moving forward.

Advocating for the Common Good: People, Politics, Process, and Policy on Capitol Hill offers a rich and accessible guide to policy making in the nation’s capital, beckoning us to get to the table, make our voices heard, and reinvigorate our policy making institutions. Jane E. West parts the curtains and brings us behind the scenes with a simple framework that enables both the novice and the experienced to deftly navigate the Washington maze. The four Ps—people, politics, process, and policy—are each examined with an eye toward what a successful advocate needs to know. Informed by her forty years of experience as part of the policy making apparatus in education and disability, expert interviews with those in the room where it happens, a deep dive into congressional procedures, and the scholarship on public policy, Dr. West delivers a powerful call to action. This jargon-free guide provides students, professionals, and the public with practical tools and a proven step-by-step process to both analyze existing policies and plan advocacy strategies to change policies moving forward.

Creating Positive Elementary Classrooms: Preventing Behavior Challenges to Promote Learning includes straightforward, feasible, and evidenced-based strategies designed to prevent behavior problems in K-5 classrooms. With an exclusive classroom focus, this practitioner-friendly book encourages teachers to be proactive in classroom management and guides them through the process of setting up their classrooms to maximize learning while focusing on prevention of behavior challenges. Its emphasis on catching behavior problems before they occur enables teachers to run their classrooms more efficiently and experience less frustration, while also increasing student learning. A well-organized, systematic, and predictable teaching environment helps to prevent challenging behaviors, and this book presents ways to achieve this type of classroom environment. Using real-life classroom scenarios, this guide equips teachers with management techniques that break the common cycle of frustration, aggression, rejection, and hostility, so they can create positive elementary classrooms.

Creating Positive Elementary Classrooms: Preventing Behavior Challenges to Promote Learning includes straightforward, feasible, and evidenced-based strategies designed to prevent behavior problems in K-5 classrooms. With an exclusive classroom focus, this practitioner-friendly book encourages teachers to be proactive in classroom management and guides them through the process of setting up their classrooms to maximize learning while focusing on prevention of behavior challenges. Its emphasis on catching behavior problems before they occur enables teachers to run their classrooms more efficiently and experience less frustration, while also increasing student learning. A well-organized, systematic, and predictable teaching environment helps to prevent challenging behaviors, and this book presents ways to achieve this type of classroom environment. Using real-life classroom scenarios, this guide equips teachers with management techniques that break the common cycle of frustration, aggression, rejection, and hostility, so they can create positive elementary classrooms.

This one-of-a-kind, comprehensive resource provides information about the dispute resolution system, including: how to resolve conflicts through collaboration to avoid the dispute resolution process; how to prepare for state complaint investigations, mediations, and due process hearings; what is involved and what is expected in each; and what happens at the conclusion of the complaint investigation, mediation, or due process hearing, including how school staff can continue to work productively with parents. Using this book, readers will understand how to effectively use dispute resolution practices and procedures to facilitate collaborative and positive partnerships between parents and school personnel in order to better serve students with disabilities.

This one-of-a-kind, comprehensive resource provides information about the dispute resolution system, including: how to resolve conflicts through collaboration to avoid the dispute resolution process; how to prepare for state complaint investigations, mediations, and due process hearings; what is involved and what is expected in each; and what happens at the conclusion of the complaint investigation, mediation, or due process hearing, including how school staff can continue to work productively with parents. Using this book, readers will understand how to effectively use dispute resolution practices and procedures to facilitate collaborative and positive partnerships between parents and school personnel in order to better serve students with disabilities.

Is that dog allowed in school? Can the miniature horse ride on the bus with my son? Must the service animal leave the classroom if the teacher is allergic? Do I need to include the service animal in the IEP? These are some of the many questions that arise when a child with disability brings a service animal to school. Service Animals in Schools: Legal, Educational, Administrative and Strategic Handling Aspects (LEASH), provides a comprehensive overview of the legal, educational, and accessibility issues surrounding service animals in schools and provides practical guidelines for addressing these concerns within an academic setting. The authors explore topics such as types of assistance animals, educational planning and IEP development, classroom integration, transition planning, and more, providing practical information about service animal use from both ends of the leash.

Is that dog allowed in school? Can the miniature horse ride on the bus with my son? Must the service animal leave the classroom if the teacher is allergic? Do I need to include the service animal in the IEP? These are some of the many questions that arise when a child with disability brings a service animal to school. Service Animals in Schools: Legal, Educational, Administrative and Strategic Handling Aspects (LEASH), provides a comprehensive overview of the legal, educational, and accessibility issues surrounding service animals in schools and provides practical guidelines for addressing these concerns within an academic setting. The authors explore topics such as types of assistance animals, educational planning and IEP development, classroom integration, transition planning, and more, providing practical information about service animal use from both ends of the leash.

Related Services in Special Education: Working Together as a Team is a resource for anyone who works with school-age children with disabilities to showcase the professional expertise and value-add related services providers bring to the IEP team and school community. With a theme of intentional collaboration and communication, this book is written and organized for educators and administrators and designed as a go-to resource—a conversation starter for professional development and ongoing learning about how to increase the effectiveness of the school-based teams who support students with disabilities. The core chapters define related services, review the legal requirements and considerations, offer examples of related services and their providers, and provide strategies to effectively leverage the professional knowledge of all team members. This book is rich in resources, including end-of-chapter thinking and reflection questions, information on the law and Supreme Court cases that guide understanding of related services, an entire chapter of recommended resources to extend learning, and case-study examples to support connection of concepts to practice.

Related Services in Special Education: Working Together as a Team is a resource for anyone who works with school-age children with disabilities to showcase the professional expertise and value-add related services providers bring to the IEP team and school community. With a theme of intentional collaboration and communication, this book is written and organized for educators and administrators and designed as a go-to resource—a conversation starter for professional development and ongoing learning about how to increase the effectiveness of the school-based teams who support students with disabilities. The core chapters define related services, review the legal requirements and considerations, offer examples of related services and their providers, and provide strategies to effectively leverage the professional knowledge of all team members. This book is rich in resources, including end-of-chapter thinking and reflection questions, information on the law and Supreme Court cases that guide understanding of related services, an entire chapter of recommended resources to extend learning, and case-study examples to support connection of concepts to practice.

Disability and Motor Behavior: A Handbook of Research provides the first focused review of research and scholarship pertaining to individuals with disabilities across motor behavior-related disciplines (e.g., motor learning, motor control, motor development). The book consists of 15 chapters that highlight current research trends, future research directions, and practical implications spanning different types of disability. The book takes a holistic view toward motor behavior among persons with disabilities from an empirical perspective. This book is written at a level appropriate for graduate students and researchers and will be the first book to provide in-depth discussions about research and scholarship across motor behavior.

Disability and Motor Behavior: A Handbook of Research provides the first focused review of research and scholarship pertaining to individuals with disabilities across motor behavior-related disciplines (e.g., motor learning, motor control, motor development). The book consists of 15 chapters that highlight current research trends, future research directions, and practical implications spanning different types of disability. The book takes a holistic view toward motor behavior among persons with disabilities from an empirical perspective. This book is written at a level appropriate for graduate students and researchers and will be the first book to provide in-depth discussions about research and scholarship across motor behavior.

Schools are increasingly responding to the impact and prevalence of special health care needs among children and youth. COVID-19 brought the health needs of many students to the forefront. Now more than ever, it is crucial to for educators to plan for working with students with health needs. Many of these students with health needs are eligible for special education and related services and will need programming appropriate to address their unique needs. Further, school teams and special education personnel must continually ensure that goals and services within an IEP consider the student’s individual circumstances and impact on functioning. This book will provide strategies for supporting students with health care needs throughout their education, including referral, family engagement, report writing, IEP design, and implementation. Fortunately, school teams can apply many components of a health-care needs approach to developing IEPs, regardless of the concern or the existence of a medical history.This book provides guidance to educators to assist in the development of legally defensible IEP’s for all students, particularly those with a known or suspected history of health care needs. Specifically, the book will help:Provide a clear description of the impact of adversity and health-care needs on student functioning, particularly for students with disabilities.Describe how symptoms of health-care needs map onto existing disability categories within IDEA.Apply a supportive approach to family engagement, assessment, and report writing.Take a different approach to PLAAFPs.Establish goals that are legally defensible and are written in light of the child’s circumstances, viewing behavioral concerns as a skill deficit rather than purely a performance deficit.Beyond the objectives described above, the information is particularly valuable given ongoing state and local legislation mandating schools become more aware of students with health-care needs and apply those approaches to all aspects of our work in schools (e.g., interactions, discipline, interventions). Despite the significant increase in recognizing the impact of students with health care needs, few books have operationalized that to the various components of service delivery. This book is the first of its kind in operationalizing a health care informed approach to IEP development.

Schools are increasingly responding to the impact and prevalence of special health care needs among children and youth. COVID-19 brought the health needs of many students to the forefront. Now more than ever, it is crucial to for educators to plan for working with students with health needs. Many of these students with health needs are eligible for special education and related services and will need programming appropriate to address their unique needs. Further, school teams and special education personnel must continually ensure that goals and services within an IEP consider the student’s individual circumstances and impact on functioning. This book will provide strategies for supporting students with health care needs throughout their education, including referral, family engagement, report writing, IEP design, and implementation. Fortunately, school teams can apply many components of a health-care needs approach to developing IEPs, regardless of the concern or the existence of a medical history.This book provides guidance to educators to assist in the development of legally defensible IEP’s for all students, particularly those with a known or suspected history of health care needs. Specifically, the book will help:Provide a clear description of the impact of adversity and health-care needs on student functioning, particularly for students with disabilities.Describe how symptoms of health-care needs map onto existing disability categories within IDEA.Apply a supportive approach to family engagement, assessment, and report writing.Take a different approach to PLAAFPs.Establish goals that are legally defensible and are written in light of the child’s circumstances, viewing behavioral concerns as a skill deficit rather than purely a performance deficit.Beyond the objectives described above, the information is particularly valuable given ongoing state and local legislation mandating schools become more aware of students with health-care needs and apply those approaches to all aspects of our work in schools (e.g., interactions, discipline, interventions). Despite the significant increase in recognizing the impact of students with health care needs, few books have operationalized that to the various components of service delivery. This book is the first of its kind in operationalizing a health care informed approach to IEP development.

Despite being the most common learning disability, dyslexia is widely misunderstood. Shrouded by myths and misperceptions, a lack of direct, practical information on dyslexia leaves many teachers and families frustrated. Well-intentioned teachers tell parents that all kids learn differently and at a different pace, but as the months turn into years, the gap between skilled readers and those who struggle widens. The antidote to wait-and-see and more-of-the-same is information. In this book, Sayeski translates research from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, linguistics, and education into accessible information to help teachers and parents unravel the complexities of skilled reading. Unraveling dyslexia requires an understanding of what it means to read—both the accurate recognition of words and the capacity to bring meaning to those words—and identifying where and how difficulty can occur with these processes. To do this, Sayeski situates the challenges some students experience in learning to read within the context of the development of English orthography (i.e., written language) and the history of reading instruction in the schools. Sayeski, then, presents what reading science has revealed about individual differences in reading. Within the book's final chapters, readers will find practical information on how to provide the type of structured literacy instruction required to put students with dyslexia on the path to reading. This book is designed for teachers, administrators, and parents seeking information that can be immediately applied to improve the outcomes of students with dyslexia or who struggle learning to read. It is never too soon to address signs of difficulty with reading. The aim of this book is to provide readers with the knowledge they need to act now to provide students with the gift of literacy.

Despite being the most common learning disability, dyslexia is widely misunderstood. Shrouded by myths and misperceptions, a lack of direct, practical information on dyslexia leaves many teachers and families frustrated. Well-intentioned teachers tell parents that all kids learn differently and at a different pace, but as the months turn into years, the gap between skilled readers and those who struggle widens. The antidote to wait-and-see and more-of-the-same is information. In this book, Sayeski translates research from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, linguistics, and education into accessible information to help teachers and parents unravel the complexities of skilled reading. Unraveling dyslexia requires an understanding of what it means to read—both the accurate recognition of words and the capacity to bring meaning to those words—and identifying where and how difficulty can occur with these processes. To do this, Sayeski situates the challenges some students experience in learning to read within the context of the development of English orthography (i.e., written language) and the history of reading instruction in the schools. Sayeski, then, presents what reading science has revealed about individual differences in reading. Within the book's final chapters, readers will find practical information on how to provide the type of structured literacy instruction required to put students with dyslexia on the path to reading. This book is designed for teachers, administrators, and parents seeking information that can be immediately applied to improve the outcomes of students with dyslexia or who struggle learning to read. It is never too soon to address signs of difficulty with reading. The aim of this book is to provide readers with the knowledge they need to act now to provide students with the gift of literacy.

The Essentials of Special Education Advocacy is a valuable tool for preservice and inservice special education professionals who seek to advocate for their students and their profession. Although significant progress has been made regarding the education of students with disabilities, much work remains. This book provides a framework and a step-by-step guide to systematically understand challenges and organize advocacy efforts for special education professionals to continue the historical progress and propel the next generation of change agents.

The Essentials of Special Education Advocacy is a valuable tool for preservice and inservice special education professionals who seek to advocate for their students and their profession. Although significant progress has been made regarding the education of students with disabilities, much work remains. This book provides a framework and a step-by-step guide to systematically understand challenges and organize advocacy efforts for special education professionals to continue the historical progress and propel the next generation of change agents.

This second installment of Special Education Law Annual Review provides a comprehensive look at the most recent policies and procedure updates, guidelines, and changes in special education law, including cases heard by the US Court of Appeals and policy letters issued by the US Department of Education in 2021. In addition to online resources, this book includes relevant case studies based on the most recent special education rulings.