This study documented the process of developing and validating the Family Needs Assessment (FNA), a seven-factor 73-item measure developed for research and practice, using a sample of Taiwanese families. In developing the FNA, the research team identified a theoretical basis for family needs, used literature and qualitative results in generating…

This paper documents the experiences of a group of parents who came together to form a human service cooperative in their local community to address the needs of their adult children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Each parent felt that their child's needs were not (or could not be) met by existing providers. Parent leaders…

Inclusive community recreation is an optimal environment for the development of recreation and sports skills and social relationships between people with and without disabilities. Although we know much about best practices for inclusion, little systemic change in recreation agencies has transpired. Diffusion of Innovation Theory is proposed as a…

This article used theory, historical records, and empirical research to make a case that inclusive education, in which students experience significant proportions of their day in the age-appropriate contexts and curriculum of general education, is a research-based practice with students who have extensive support needs. We begin by noting that…

Special education as practiced today remains firmly anchored in the original logic of the Amendments to the Education of the Handicapped Act (PL 94-142). Subsequent reauthorizations of the statute have included language designed to increase access to the general curriculum by special needs students but have not addressed the underlying…

The amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) in 2004 reiterate the significance of producing real postsecondary education, employment, and independent living outcomes. However, current employment data continue to show widespread unemployment and very limited access to inclusive community environments and…

This article presents the author's response to "Excessive Positivism in Person-Centered Planning," by Steve Holburn and Christine D. Cea. The author begins by complementing Holburn and Cea on their courage to voice concerns that perhaps may not appear to be politically correct or perhaps too bold to express in the context of a journal like…

This paper describes a collaborative effort aimed at province-wide dissemination and implementation of pivotal response treatment (PRT) for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Nova Scotia, Canada. Three critical components of the associated training model are described: (1) direct training of treatment teams (parents, one-to-one…

It has been a mere four decades since autism emerged from the pernicious cul-de-sac of psychoanalytic conceptualization into the realm of constructive, systematic research, and real-life problem solving. It was in the 1960s that (1) Bernard Rimland (1964) published his ground-breaking book, "Infantile Autism"; (2) the National Society of Autistic…

Many schools have increased their use of paraprofessionals as a primary mechanism to include more students with various disabilities in general education classes. Although intended to be supportive, service delivery that relies extensively on paraprofessionals has resulted in a host of challenges for public schools and questionable services for…

It is now the responsibility of educators to provide for the education of severely handicapped students in what has been referred to as "the least restrictive educational environment." This paper discusses least restrictive educational environments in relation to segregation versus integration, interactions with nonhandicapped age peers, the…

In this article, the author comments on the paramount article "Toward Realization of the Least Restrictive Educational Environments for Severely Handicapped Students" by Brown, Wilcox, Sontag, Vincent, Dodd, and Gruenewald. She states that the article contained amazingly persuasive and logical ideas that guided the dramatic changes in service…

A study investigated the causes, educational continuity, and parental perceptions associated with 19 students with multiple disabilities transitioning from school to hospital. Sixty-one percent of hospitalizations were for emergencies and only 1 in 46 hospitalizations had a transition plan to deliver educational services while students were absent…

An overview of special education in Costa Rica is provided. Costa Rica has promulgated four educational service models that extend special education expertise: consulting teachers, educational assistance teams, itinerant teams, and resource centers. Their educational classification system describes the level of modifications required by students.…

This article describes special education and early inclusion efforts in China. National projects and local examples of children with disabilities, including children with autism, being included in public schools and educated in general education classrooms are described. Implications for inclusive practice, focusing on the importance of parent…