This article discusses the importance of early intervention advocacy and provides vignettes that illustrate sample early intervention advocacy issues from the perspectives of parents, teachers, and program administrators. Quick tips are provided for professionals as self-advocates and for family advocacy, along with legislative Web site resources.…

This article presents a rationale for matching social skills intervention strategies to the skill and comfort levels that typically developing children show toward their peers with special needs and provides teachers with guidance on how to accomplish this match. Environmental manipulations that facilitate interactions and peer-mediated strategies…

This article reviews eight resources for working with infants, toddlers, and young children who are blind or visually impaired. Resources include a guide on early intervention with young children with multiple disabilities, a manual on developmental guidelines for infants with visual impairments, a video on early concept development, and Web…

This article examines what is meant by access, participation, and progress in the regular education curriculum and suggests a new framework for curriculum reform that holds promise for all students, particularly students with disabilities. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is presented and materials and methods of UDL are described.…

This article describes what happened when Palm Pilots were given to 28 sixth-graders, 6 with special needs. Students preferred using the Palm Pilot to a traditional notebook for recording assignments and used the Palm Pilots to access spelling lists and to check math and spelling. (Contains references.) (CR)

This article describes Widgets, computer-based learning tools designed to meet the instructional need for computer-based flexible tools that can be used across ability levels. It discusses development of three Widgets for students with mild disabilities: a multiplication with sets Widget, a number sense Widget, and a dollars and cents Widget.…

This article discusses procedures that have been developed to empower students with disabilities to take responsibility for graphing data reflecting their own academic performance. It discusses training methods for teaching students self-graphing and the benefits of self-monitoring. Examples are provided of different types of computer graphs.…

This article reviews some of the existing technology that assists children with low vision in their ability to use environmental cues. It provides recommendations for modification of color and contrast, illumination, space, and time. A chart lists technological assists for environmental cues and vendor information. (Contains references.) (CR)

This article discuses how assistive technology affected the emergent literacy of 10 preschoolers (age 3) with multiple disabilities. The children used picture communication symbols, adapted books, a BIGmack, and a computer with Intellikeys, Intellipics, and Overlay Maker, alternative keyboard, and software. The benefits to the children are…

This article discusses challenges for secondary students with disabilities and alternative instructional methods that teachers of students with poor reading skills can use to convey content information effectively and efficiently. The use of audio textbooks on CD-ROMs is emphasized and the SLiCK strategy is explained as a support for the CD-ROM.…

This article explains the three components of eBooks: an eBook file, software to read the eBook, and a hardware device to read it on. The use of eBooks for students with special needs, the advantages of eBooks, built in accommodations, and creating accommodations are discussed. EBook resources are included. (Contains references.) (CR)

This article discusses the transition of students with disabilities to higher education, their needs and challenges, and introduces a tool that is being piloted to address areas of concern. The questionnaire is designed to determine the readiness skills of students who indicate their desire to transition from high school to college. (CR)

This article discusses providing students with significant disabilities the opportunity to participate in meaningful, age-appropriate learning experiences in postsecondary settings during their final years of school. A sample schedule of a participating student is provided, along with steps for developing alternative options for students with…

This article provides an overview of the nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) syndrome and describes appropriate educational strategies. Primary characteristics of NLD and possible indicators are listed. Remedial, compensatory, instructional or therapeutic interventions are listed for psychomotor and perceptual motor deficits, for arithmetic…

This article examines the needs of students with minimal hearing loss (MHL) and offers practical suggestions to teachers. It considers legal requirements, reasons for under identification of children with MHL, signs of MHL, effects of MHL, classroom factors affecting MHL, minimizing background noise and improving listening conditions, and…