The purpose of special needs planning is to create the best possible life for an adult with a disability. This book provides comprehensive guidance on creating a life plan to transition a special needs child to independence or to ensure they are well cared for in the future. Beginning with a vision of a meaningful life for the child, Hal Wright explains how to form a practical plan to reach these goals, how to mentor personal empowerment and task skills, and how to create circles of support to sustain a life plan. He next looks at employment and residential options, and government programs available in the United States. Finally he talks the reader through important financial and legal considerations, including how to fund and manage a special needs trust. This book will be essential reading for all parents or guardians of a child with a cognitive, mental or physical impairment. It will also be of interest to attorneys, financial planners, insurance agents, trust officers and other professionals looking to better serve the special needs community.

This important resource is an update of the best-selling book The Special Educator's Resource Guide to 109 Diagnostic Tests. The greatly expanded second edition contains 301 new and enhanced tests, which are vital to understanding assessment in special education. Designed as an easy-to-use, hands-on resource, the book is filled with practical tools, information, and suggestions. Step-by-step, this practical guide explores the various stages of evaluation, interpretation, diagnosis, prescription, and remediation.

Families, teachers, and therapists who are searching for information about how to use technology to help individuals who struggle with communication, literacy, and learning will benefit from the wealth of practical, well-organized information in The Ultimate Guide to Assistive Technology in Special Education. The book presents a broad overview of the uses of assistive technology before helping readers zero in on powerful, cutting-edge technology tools they can use to improve students' areas of weakness as well as to compensate for them. Readers are introduced to an exciting world in which assistive technology, educational technology, and mainstream technology are merging. The book focuses on software, tools, devices, and online resources that can help students with everyday tasks such as speaking, understanding, reading, writing, cognition, and memory. Along the way, readers will discover new ways to use everyday items such as mainstream software, cell phones, and calendars to assist students with special needs.

This book offers practical guidance on such topics as roles and responsibilities, school environment and culture, classroom organization and management, collaboration with other professionals, and individual professional development.

Provides an insider's view of the special education process for parents and teachers This book explores the special education process-from testing and diagnosis to IEP meetings and advocating for special needs children. Step by step the authors reveal the stages of identification, assessment, and intervention, and help readers to better understand special needs children's legal rights and how to become an active, effective member of a child's educational team. Grounded in more than twenty-five years of working with parents and educators, the authors provide significant insight into what they have learned about the special education. This book fills the gap in the literature for the millions of children receiving special education services and the parents who are clamoring for information on this topic. Includes valuable tools, checklists, sample forms, and advice for working with special education students Demystifies the special education process, from testing and diagnosis to IEP meetings and advocating for children New editions covers Response-to-Intervention (RTI), a new approach to diagnosing learning disabilities in the classroom; expanded coverage of autism spectrum disorders and bipolar disorder; and a revamped Resources section.

This useful handbook provides educators with a practical understanding of the laws that are in place to protect the children with special needs that they support. Written in a user-friendly Q and A format, it covers all of the key areas of special education law including Free Appropriate Public Education, related services, and discipline.

Presents tips and advice for professionals who are creating or overseeing service-learning programs.

Are you prepared for the RTI evolution? This comprehensive toolkit will bring you up to speed on why RTI is one of the most important educational initiatives in recent history and sets the stage for its future role in teacher education and practice. The authors demonstrate innovative ways to use RTI to inform instruction and guide curriculum development in inclusive classroom settings. Your RTI implementation team will find strategies, techniques, and checklists for evaluating existing programs and implementing RTI effectively. The text′s broad perspective includes: A concise description of RTI′s history and evolution A leadership framework for school and district administrators Applications in reading and literacy, mathematics, and behavior support Guidelines for involving parents, students, and communities In addition, chapters address progress monitoring, instructional support teams, and creating time for RTI in middle and high schools. The text is supported by online technology links that include video, audio, and print media--everything you need to optimize RTI for the new landscape of 21st-century education.

It is vital for all professionals in the field of education to have a practical understanding of the laws that are in place to protect the children with whom they work. The Comprehensive Guide to Special Education Law is a detailed yet accessible introduction to federal law as it applies to the rights of children with special needs. Written in a user-friendly question and answer format, the book covers all of the key areas of special education law including parental rights of participation, the legal right to Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and related services, and the complex issues of discipline and dispute resolutions. This book provides educators with knowledge of the requirements, history, and evolution of the laws that impact their daily working lives and gives them the information they need to help parents obtain better services for their children. This is an indispensible handbook that teachers, school management, and school counselors will refer to again and again.