Interventions based on the results of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) have been the topic of extensive research and, in certain cases, mandated for students with disabilities under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. There exist a wide variety of methods for conducting such assessments, with little consensus in the field. The…

Juvenile delinquency is a persistent problem in the United States, and students with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to become recidivists. This study examined patterns of and factors associated with recidivism. The sample included 5,435 juveniles with disabilities. Findings indicated intragroup variability regarding the number of…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has become the fastest growing disability in the United States, with current prevalence rates estimated at as many as 1 in 110 children (CDC, 2010). This increase in the number of students identified with ASD has significant implications for public schools. The most popular research-based educational practices for…

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has spawned much litigation in which parents of children with disabilities and school districts disagree over the content of a student's special education. The majority of this litigation has occurred in the federal district courts. The federal court system consists of more than 100 U.S.…

Over the past several decades, there has been a steady increase in the use of medication therapy to help control student behavior within schools. While psychotropic medications do not "cure" mental illnesses, they have demonstrated efficacy in helping children function better at school and within their home environment. However, it is important…

In a recent ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court in "Parents v. Seattle" (Parents Involved, 2007) determined that race cannot be the sole factor in the assignment of children to public schools. The court also identified the conditions which would justify the use of race in assigning children to schools. In this article we (a) provide a historical…

June 22, 2007, was the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley (hereafter Rowley; 1982). In Rowley, the Supreme Court interpreted congressional intent in requiring that public schools provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to students with…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (hereafter IDEIA) was signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 3, 2004. The law reauthorized and made important changes to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). On August 3, 2006, the U.S. Department of Education released the Regulations…

Manifestation determination is a mandated provision for deciding whether a student's misbehavior is related to his disability and, consequently, whether cessation of services is allowed. This article critiques this provision by reviewing relevant case law and legislation, examining the mandate's social context, and questioning the validity of…

This article discusses symptoms of students with Rett Syndrome, a disability in females characterized by the development of multiple specific deficits following a period of normal functioning after birth. Specific interventions for students with Rett syndrome are provided and address communication, stereotypic movements, self-injurious behaviors,…

Addresses various remedies that courts have assigned when schools fail to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Covers traditional remedies such as reimbursement for residential placements, related services, and legal fees, with an added emphasis on the increasingly used remedy of compensatory education and the potential for…

Offers guidelines to assist school personnel in addressing pica, an eating disorder involving consumption of nonedible substances frequently observed in people with mental retardation. Guidelines are organized around principles that stress surveying the situation, selecting treatments (behavioral, nutritional, and/or medical), and considering the…

Describes a token economy that used tokens styled as license plates to elicit appropriate behavior in an inclusive fifth-grade class in which four students with behavior disorders were enrolled. Student involvement in establishing the "driving rules" of the classroom is explained, the components of a token economy are outlined, and steps for group…

The article offers guidelines for using the regular education mathematics curriculum for students with mild disabilities. Approaches geared toward mildly handicapped adolescents include the parallel alternate curriculum, the resource room model, and the strategies intervention model. Specific teaching suggestions are also recommended as are…