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The concepts of self-determination and self-advocacy have been a focus in the education of students with disabilities and many new curricula, guidelines, and materials have recently become available for educators. This article describes a project that involved individuals with intellectual disabilities in making a movie as a strategy for exploring and developing self-advocacy skills. A facilitator/ director worked with the individuals as they discussed movie ideas based on self-determination, while learning concepts and working on component skills such as self-advocacy and problem solving. The authors share what they learned during the project and provide ideas for educators to follow a similar model with their students. (Contains 4 figures and 1 table.)

Although inclusive education has been increasing in frequency for students with disabilities in the United States, for many students, the opportunity to be educated with their peers without disabilities continues to be out of reach despite decades of efforts by those promoting the vision of inclusion. This exploratory case study used interviews with administrators, teachers, and parents representing inclusive and segregated school districts in one state to explore potential reasons for differences in districts that had high percentages of students with disabilities in inclusive versus segregated educational settings. The importance of administrative leadership and parent selective mobility were found to influence the extent to which a district implemented inclusive versus segregated placements for students with disabilities.

The purpose of this article is to examine the disproportionality among racial/ethnic groups and states for the disability category of "Autism" as reported to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Over the past decade, a variety of sources indicated a dramatic increase in the number of students receiving special education services under this category. In this article, statewide variations amongst each of the racial/ethnic groups are explored along with a discussion of possible reasons for these variations.

Contrary to what many people assume, students with intellectual disabilities are capable of directing some aspects of their own lives. This author argues that if people are to create democratic classrooms, they must promote self-determination for all students. In this article, she discusses the significance of self-determination for students with intellectual disabilities. She focuses on three key ideas for educators to keep in mind, so that they can begin to see how the development of self-determination can open many doors for students with intellectual disabilities, and why it is important to address self-determination in inclusive settings. These key ideas are: (1) all people want some level of self-determination in their lives; (2) rich and varied experiences are necessary for promoting self-determination; and (3) self-determination is a lifelong learning process. (Contains 9 notes.)

With the increased public attention to a rapidly growing number of children being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it seems as if there is an equally rapid growth of new specialized programs catering to this group of children. The question to be considered is, if there are indeed promising models based on inclusive settings, why does there appear to be more attention given to creating segregated programs? In this article, the author contends that if people are to promote inclusive programs for "all" students, then they must: (1) put more effort into educating parents and professionals regarding the current evidence base for effective inclusive programs for children on the autism spectrum; and (2) continue to research and disseminate data regarding how to provide "special" programs within inclusive settings. (Contains 2 tables.)

It is well known that growing up with a sibling who has a disability has both positive and negative impacts on the non-disabled sibling (Beckman, 2002; Fisman, Wolf, Ellison, & Freeman, 2000; Gans, 1997; McHugh, 2003). In fact, the concern for ameliorating the potential negative impacts on nondisabled siblings has been a major impetus for the development of sibling support groups and agencies serving families of children with disabilities for a number of years (Gallagher et al., 2000; Powell & Gallagher, 1993). This article reports on a project in which we explored this sibling experience from the perspective of those who chose to enter the field of special education. The current study involved interviews with 7 individuals who have chosen special education as a career in order to understand what may have contributed to this decision as well as how their experiences growing up with a brother or sister who has a disability influenced their work and their views of special education. (Contains 1 table.)

Three portraits of adolescent students with Asperger's syndrome include descriptive details about the students as young children, their schooling experiences, their interests, and their social life experiences. Portraits were developed through interviews with the students, their parents, and focus groups with professionals providing services to the students and parents. Implications for meeting educational needs of Asperger syndrome students are drawn. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

The perspectives and experiences of 20 paraeducators working with inclusion students with disabilities (grades K-8) who also present significant behavioral challenges found that paraeducators tended to assume high levels of responsibility for managing the academic and behavioral needs of special-education students in inclusive settings. (CR)

This cross-case analysis examined general education elementary-level teacher engagement with and effectiveness of "coaching," or expert consultation by special educators on effective teaching strategies. Factors resulting in high levels of impact on teaching and high levels of engagement were identified, including emphasis on conceptual understandings, focus on the teacher's perceived needs, and recognition of philosophical differences. (DB)

When the Supreme Court's 2002 Atkins decision held that it was unconstitutional to execute defendants with intellectual disability, the ruling was heralded as an important protection for these vulnerable defendants. However, courts have been faced with a number of conceptual and procedural issues because determining who has an intellectual disability has remained elusive, especially for defendants whose intellectual disability is considered to be "borderline" (i.e., IQs within the 65-75 range). This Article examines some of these issues from three states (Texas, Florida, and Alabama). Because the meaning of intellectual disability and attempts to measure it have been elusive, the courts' search for a particular objective measure for determining who should be exempt under Atkins will continue to result in arbitrary outcomes. This Article proposes that the focus should shift to a broader conceptualization of intellectual disability embodied within a social construction model to include examining the social context and its relationship to how an individual functions and reasons. Only then can a greater number of defendants whofunction along the borders of "intelligence" benefit from the Supreme Court's Atkins ruling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]