New at NICHCY

This month from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

NICHCY has maintained a core of key publications for many years, updating them every time our nation's special education law is reauthorized or significant changes occur in the field. Here are the latest to get complete facelifts so they are not only shiny-new again but are also consistent with the requirements of IDEA 2004 and its regulations.

Categories of Disability Under IDEA (GR3)
If you're familiar with NICHCY products, then you'll know this one by its former name, "Disabilities That Qualify Infants, Toddlers, Children, and Youth for Services under the IDEA." A long and frightening title, wasn't it, but no more. If you want to find out how IDEA defines the disability categories under which a child may be found eligible for services (see, the old title did make sense), this publication will tell you. Posted online at:
http://www.nichcy.org/InformationResources/Documents/NICHCY%20PUBS/gr3.pdf

Your Child's Evaluation (BP1)
What's involved in evaluating a child to determine if he or she has a disability and is eligible for special education and related services? Find out in 4 easy-to-read pages that describe IDEA's requirements for evaluation. Posted online at:
http://www.nichcy.org/InformationResources/Documents/NICHCY%20PUBS/bp1.pdf

Your Child's Evaluation (BP1)
Here is a comprehensive but brief look at the special education process from start to finish. It begins with the question "Why is my child struggling in school?" and goes on to describe the evaluation process under IDEA, how eligibility for special education is determined, and what's involved in writing and implementing the individualized education program (IEP), the crown jewel of special education. New provisions in IDEA regarding IEP meetings are also detailed. The publication finishes with brief looks at reevaluation and IDEA's vehicles for resolving disputes that may arise between parents and school systems. Find the revamped and expanded LG1 online at:
http://www.nichcy.org/InformationResources/Documents/NICHCY%20PUBS/lg1.pdf

Developing Your Child's IEP (PA12)
Written expressly for parents by a parent, this 28-pager gets to the heart and soul of the IEP. It looks at every component of this all-important document, otherwise known as the Individualized Education Program. Every child with a disability receiving special education under IDEA must have an IEP, and parents are important members of the team that develops it. Want to be more involved in that process? New and shiny, this publication stands ready to help.
Find it online at:
http://www.nichcy.org/InformationResources/Documents/NICHCY%20PUBS/pa12.pdf

NICHCY is also pleased to launch a new series of questions and answers about IDEA, beginning with these two offerings:

Questions and Answers about IDEA: Purposes and Key Definitions (QA1)
Find out what Congress established as the purposes of IDEA. Also learn how four of IDEA's key terms are defined: free appropriate public education (FAPE), child with a disability, special education, and related services. These 8 pages are yours for the reading and downloading, at:
http://www.nichcy.org/InformationResources/Documents/NICHCY%20PUBS/QA1.pdf

Questions and Answers about IDEA: Parent Participation (QA2)
A parent's right to participate in meetings and decision making regarding their child's special education is one of IDEA's foundational principles, strongly supported through explicit provisions and guarantees. Go straight to the heart of the matter in this 12-page Q&A summarizing parental rights of participation and describing prior written notice, the procedural safeguards notice, and the in's-and-out's of parental consent. Enjoy, at:
http://www.nichcy.org/InformationResources/Documents/NICHCY%20PUBS/QA2.pdf

Understanding Evaluations: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know

Join LD Talk for an Online Discussion: Understanding Evaluations: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know to Drive Instruction and Promote School Success

Date: April 30, 2008
Time: 2:00 PM EDT

Parents and teachers need to understand all aspects of the evaluation process in order to make decisions that will positively benefit a student being considered for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA contains very specific requirements for a student evaluation and the results will be used to make important decisions about the student's future.

Dr. Blanche Podhajski helps us unravel and understand the important questions in the evaluation process such as timing, what the proposed tests measure and what the outcomes mean when a comprehensive evaluation is conducted.

Joining this LD Talk is as easy as 1-2-3
Since LD Talks are text-based discussions, all you'll need is Internet access to participate. You can submit your question in advance of the Talk, or during the scheduled event. In either case, participating is as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Click here. This will take you to a page featuring a detailed description of this Talk, as well as the biography of the participating expert and additional resources on the topic;
2. Type your question in the field provided;
3. Click "Ask your Question."

That's all there is to it. Once the Talk is live, you'll see the questions that have been asked and our expert's answers. Please note: Due to the volume of questions submitted, our expert may not be able to answer each individual question.

Did you miss something?

Don't worry if you aren't available to join the live Talk — we'll save the transcript for you, and you can visit this online resource as often as you like. Transcripts of previous discussions are available for your review at NCLDtalks.org. For an archive of NCLD Talk transcripts from 2000-2007, click here.

About the Expert:
Dr. Blanche Podhajski is President and Founder of the Stern Center for Language and Learning. Established in 1983, the non-profit Stern Center provides literacy services for children and adults, professional development opportunities for educators and medical professionals, and research on best literacy practices. Dr. Podhajski is also Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences. She also is a member of the Professional Advisory Board for the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD).

Dr. Podhajski received her Ph.D. in Communication Disorders, specializing in Learning Disabilities, from Northwestern University. She holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech Pathology from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.

Dr. Podhajski is the co-author of the Sounds Abound Program: Teaching Phonological Awareness in the Classroom, published by LinguiSystems. She created TIME for Teachers™, a professional development initiative to bring information about current research-proven reading interventions to classroom teachers. In collaboration with Marilyn Varricchio, Nancy Mather and Janice Sammons, Dr. Podhajski has extended TIME into Mastering the Alphabetic Principle: A Course in how we MAP speech to print for teaching reading and spelling, a robust distance learning course for primary educators soon to be published by Paul H. Brookes in a stand-alone version for personnel preparation and professional development. She has also co-authored Identification of Reading Difficulties and Best Referral Practices: A Guide for Future Physicians, a CD-ROM course for medical students.

For over 35 years, Dr. Podhajski has published and presented papers on the interrelationships between increases in teacher knowledge and children’s literacy outcomes. She also has extensive experience and has presented throughout the country on the differential diagnosis of language learning disorders.