Literature Articles

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) and its final Part B Implementing Regulations describe how disagreements about special education services between parents and schools may be resolved. This guide for families will help readers to have a better understanding of...
[abstract] This article examines the recommended eligibility determination for learning disabilities (LD) in both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act and the proposed changes in diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5. The focus is on the inclusion of the criterion of responsiveness...
[Abstract] "Compared to families of students with other types of disabilities, families of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are significantly more likely to enact their procedural safeguards such as mediation and due process. However, we do not know which school, child, and parent...
In this article, the author provides guidelines for the use of IEP facilitation to resolve conflicts between families of special education students and schools. The author identifies seven essential components of IEP facilitation, describes each component, and provides guidance for practical...
This resource is designed to prepare parents to participate in IEP meetings. [excerpt] "A parent’s first encounter with the Individualized Education Program—the IEP—can be intimidating. However, participation in special educational planning is critical in assuring positive long-term outcomes for...
This document briefly summarizes practical insights and promising practices for IEP/IFSP facilitation, collected from a broad review of facilitation and special education literature. Among the highlight are strategies that can be used prior to and during a meeting as well as considerations for those...
[abstract] "The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the resolution meeting on due process in special education. The study focused on the impact of the resolution meeting on students and the school district by utilizing an analysis of data obtained from due process requests...
[Excerpt, p.3] The purposes of this article are (a) to canvass the Section 504 legislation, regulations, and OCR interpretations specific to impartial hearings; and (b) to determine, via a national survey, the current practices of the state education agencies (SEAs) for the 50 states and the...
[introduction] This Question and Answer document is specific to impartial hearing officers (IHOs) and the impartial hearings that they conduct under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It does not cover the IHO’s remedial authority, which is the subject of separate comprehensive...
This updated question-and-answer document is specific to impartial hearing officers (IHOs) and the hearings that they conduct under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The coverage does not extend to the alternate third-party dispute decisional mechanism under the IDEA, the...
This article provides an overview of the relevant legal authority pertaining to the impartiality requirements for hearing and review officers under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The overview is in the form of a checklist containing items derived from published court...
This article provides a two part overview of issues related to the impartiality of due process hearing officers and review officials. First, the authors summarize federal administrative law regarding hearing officer or administrative law judge bias in order to provide a framework for analyzing the...
[abstract] "Over the past 20 years, a serious trend has developed that disconnects too many students from school due to suspensions. Suspensions continue to widen the achievement gap within the educational system. Consistently, African American males are suspended at a much higher rate than the rest...
Interviews with 35 students who participated in student-led Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings confirmed that students were able to describe the purpose and benefits of an IEP, their disabilities, and their rights. Observation of student participation in IEP meetings for five students...
To provide relief for families who disagree with their child’s educational program, the IDEA provides three types of dispute resolution: mediation, written state complaints, and due process hearings. While these options support constructive conflict engagement, many families find these processes...
This article provides background information about special education and mediation and offers some points to consider for those interested in starting, improving or analyzing a special education mediation process. This article is based on the author's experience as a mediator as well as on site...
Lay advocates are prohibited from representing parents and children in d.p. hearings under Arons. Part III of this article presents new empirical findings related to the supply of attorneys and lay advocates available to represent parents at any cost and at a reduced cost. Survey was sent to state...
Presents suggestions that may help parents prepare for their child's individualized education program (IEP). The suggestions are divided into what parents can do before an IEP team meeting, at an IEP team meeting, and after an IEP team meeting. IEP goals and objectives are also discussed.
This study explores the relation between Mexican American parents and the special education system, especially the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) meetings. Within this narrative account, 10 Mexican American women were interviewed throughout a school year to comprehend how they felt about...
This article describes a literature search process employed to identify research in ADR and special education, organizes some initial search results, briefly summarizes them, and raises important questions for the purpose of generating a future research agenda.
School-based prevention programs can positively impact a range of social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. Yet the current climate of accountability pressures schools to restrict activities that are not perceived as part of the core curriculum. Building on models from public health and prevention...
This digest paper examines the special roles of parents of children with disabilities in planning for the education of their children and discusses how educators can work effectively with parents to create meaningful individualized education programs (IEPs). Barriers to parental participation in the...
This book offers twenty-five strategies through which schools can encourage and support parents' involvement. The author groups these strategies in chapters 2-7 by communication medium (in-person, telephone, written) while chapter 8 emphasizes home-based activities. The closing two chapters move...
[Abstract] Adjudications under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) continue to be an active area of education litigation at both the hearing officer (HO) and court levels. One of the many questions for IDEA litigants, in light of the considerable costs and time of this “ponderous”...