In this three-year qualitative study we investigated the experiences and perspectives of university undergraduate students who were peer mentors for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) in a postsecondary education certificate program at a public university in the northeastern United States. The findings were…

This case study uses an institutional ethnography approach to investigate the experiences of the parents of a son who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as they engaged in meetings related to his progress and placement with school personnel over the course of one school year. Through an analysis of the discourse used in these meetings and…

Problem solving is fundamental to psychoeducational assessment practices and generally grounded in activities related to identifying problems, developing and refining hypotheses, generating solutions, developing and implementing actions, and evaluating outcomes. While the process is central to response-to-intervention practices as well, little…

This qualitative case study examined how educators collaborate and coteach within an inclusive classroom. The reauthorization of the original federal disabilities education law, Public Law 94-142, known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as well as the No Child Left Behind…

Including students with special needs in the general education classroom is being widely promoted in the public schools. This practice places a heavy burden on the general educator who is often inadequately trained to meet the needs of such a diverse classroom. Co-teaching has been one of the support strategies used to address the challenges and…

Since the passage of PL 94-142, also known as the Education of All Handicapped Children Act, in 1975, special and general educators have been urged to work together to improve the education of children with disabilities through increased access to the general education curriculum. Over the years, the evolution of a collaborative approach to…

The main criterion for eligibility for special education services in schools has been proof of intrinsic deficit. There are two problems with this focus: First, defining and identifying high-incidence disabilities are ambiguous and subjective processes. Second, the focus on disability has become so intertwined with the historical devaluing of…

Handicapped and non-handicapped preschool children were observed in order to study the impact of mainstreaming on the preschool handicapped child. Ten observational records were collected on each of 24 non-handicapped and four physically handicapped children in three mainstreamed classrooms. Twelve physically handicapped children in two…

Describes a successful training model for early childhood educators (Grades K-three) and paraprofessionals who are unprepared to work with mainstreamed handicapped children. Specifically discussed are program goals and objectives; training modules; training activities; on-site visitation; evaluation; and discussion and recommendations. (Author/DST)