Schools Advised To Catch, Treat Disabilities as Early as Possible
Many behavioral and learning problems of students with disabilities can be prevented if elementary schools focus on special services and discipline in the lower grades, according to a top federal special education official.
More problems arise when disabilities are not caught and treated early, said Thomas Hehir, the director of the U.S. Department of Education's office of special education programs. He spoke here this month at an annual conference sponsored by the Council for Exceptional Children, a special education advocacy group.
The conference was the first major meeting on special education since the Education Department released its final regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the most controversial of which pertain to student discipline. The IDEA was amended most recently in 1997, but the rules were not published until last month, more than a year behind the department's initial deadline. ( "Department Issues IDEA Regulations," ...
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