Post-school employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities continue to be inadequate when compared to their peers without disabilities (Newman et al., 2011). One barrier to employment for individuals with disabilities is a lack of employment "soft skills" (Riesen, Morgan, Schutlz, & Kupferman, 2014), such as punctuality and…

The self-service nature of today's society means that technical communicators are needed more than ever before since users may find themselves struggling to make sense of online documentation with minimal support from the institutions that provide it. Certain demographics within the user population (older adults, disabled persons, non-native…

Solve serious behavior challenges in K-8 classrooms with this easy-to-use book, the first practical guide to the research-proven Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model. Developed by some of the most respected authorities on positive behavior support, this innovative model gives school-based teams a five-step plan for reducing problems unresolved by…

This article discusses ways that early intervention team members can improve their communication, qualities of effective teams, roles that members assume on teams, a step-by-step process for creating a transdisciplinary team, verbal and nonverbal skills necessary for successful communicative interaction, and behaviors that serve as barriers to…

An inservice program entitled The Team Approach to Educational Decision-Making: Inservice for Multidisciplinary Teams is described. It provides instruction in team theory, communication skills, and problem-solving techniques to create more active and effective team participation in the Individual Education Program decision-making processes to meet…

Cooperative learning approaches can create a cooperative family environment, involving positive interdependence and appropriate social and communication skills. This is especially important in families with a special needs child. Activities which can minimize competition among family members include participative rule-making, planning special…

Materials for special education resource specialists in California on implementing a team approach and facilitating change are presented as the second of four volumes. The first section includes a description of the resource specialist program; the interaction between the resource specialist and the principal; the roles of the resource specialist,…

The facilitator's manual offers information for conducting a workshop to teach regular educators, special educators, and parents of handicapped children communication skills as they relate to decisions in the individualized education program (IEP) team meeting. Three presentations provide participants with an increased awareness of the need for…

This article discusses how practitioners can link assessment to action when planning communication interventions for young children with disabilities. It reviews communication components and discusses strategies for collecting information that may be especially useful in the domain of communication. Strategies for turning assessment information…

This manual discusses a method for developing a comprehensive drug abuse prevention and intervention program for students in special education. The first section contains introductory material regarding high risk students in general and implications for special education. The second section outlines material on specific types of high-risk…

This paper points out the importance of special educators' communication skills in effective collaboration. The basic components of face-to-face communication are discussed, emphasizing the role of the speaker and listener. An explanation of the process of active listening is also included, noting possible verbal and nonverbal listener responses.…

This article describes implementation of a project which facilitated the collaboration of 26 elementary general education teachers and 5 resource teachers by providing time during the school day for structured interaction and inservice training in a collaborative problem-solving process. Pretesting and posttesting with the Resource Teacher-General…

This training module is comprised of two documents, the facilitator's guide and the student guide, and is intended for the introductory phase of a course for paraprofessional school personnel. The facilitator's guide provides the full text of the student's guide as well as chapter goals to be accomplished by students, topics covered in each text…

This guide for special education resource room teachers focuses on ways to balance the many conflicting demands of this role. The first chapter focuses on personal development with a "Personal Resourcing Questionnaire", guidelines for identifying goals and working systematically toward them, and suggestions for maintaining personal…

This manual presents the trainee's workbook and the trainer's guidelines for the first of six modules in a teacher inservice series developed to promote the unified effort of both regular and special education personnel in understanding and applying nationally recognized practices to implement fully inclusive education for students with diverse…