Sixty-six local education authorities (LEAs) in England and Wales responded to a request for sets of guidelines on the 1981 Education Act they have provided for headteachers, teaching staff, and educational psychologists. The Act recommends that parents and older children be fully involved as partners in the process of assessment and placement of handicapped children, and that the educational provisions offered must properly meet the child's needs. Among survey findings were the following: (1) over a third of the LEAs did not set the procedures for assessment and placing children with special needs in a detailed explanatory framework; (2) over a third did not spell out the LEA's general duties under the Act; (3) just over half defined key terms of the Act; (4) while 70% explained that parents must be fully involved in the assessment procedures, only 29% explained the right of parents to attend examinations; (5) third gave guidance on recordkeeping and 12% on issues of confidentiality; and (6) only 11% specifically mentioned the need for additional help for parents third gave guidance on recordkeeping and 12% on issues of confidentiality; and (6) only 11% specifically mentioned the need for additional help for parents speaking a language other than English. The major portion of the document contains samples from the published guidance on issues surveyed. Also included are a resource guide including further reading on the Act, useful addresses, and names and addresses of government departments. (DB)