By Gayl Bowser, assistive technology consultant

In the May/June 2009 issue of Innovations and Perspectives, we met Belle and her IEP team as they considered whether or not Belle needed assistive technology (AT) as a support to help her reach the goals on her IEP.

By Sandy Wilberger, M.Ed., and Sue Palko, M.Ed.

Including children with disabilities into programs with their typically developing peers has been an ongoing practice for more than 30 years. While most preschool programs began with “mainstreaming,” Head Start led the way by mandating that at least 10 percent of the children enrolled in their program have a disability.

By Phyllis L.M. Haynes, M.S. Ed.

Bulletin boards are decorated, textbooks are in place on students’ desks and the realization that summer is over has finally sunk in. Every teacher plans for a successful year in September; however, as the year begins many teachers find themselves needing to try new positive behavior management strategies.

By Mary Kay McClees, special education resource teacher, Swift Creek Elementary, Chesterfield County

During the 2008-09 school year, I had the pleasure of teaching Kelsey, a fourth-grade student with multiple motor and language challenges. Prior to fourth grade, Kelsey had not received math instruction in the general education classroom. Math had never been the most desirable academic subject for Kelsey.

By Susan Spaulding, M.T., and Alisa Hogsett

The families and students in our three collaborative seventh-grade language arts classes at Bailey Bridge Middle School will not easily forget March 23, 2009 as the night we hosted student-led conferences.

By Renee Z. Bullano, M.Ed

This is the fifth in a series of newsletter articles describing the transition IEP process. In past issues, we discussed the age-appropriate transition process, postsecondary goal development and the present level of academic achievement and functional performance.

By Fran Smith, Ed.D., CVE

These are exciting times for the growth and understanding of universal design for learning (UDL). National organizations are helping to buoy the awareness of the benefits of applying UDL across educational contexts.

By Sue Palko, M.Ed., and Sharon Jones, M.Ed.

As those of us in the field of autism know, there is a wide range of interventions that can be used with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Some are evidence-based, while others lack the data needed to prove their efficacy.

Growing Up Social! Exploring How Social Communication Develops ... and Strategies to Help!, Michelle Garcia Winner, The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding, 2007 (DVD)