NASET Q & A Corner

The NASET Q & A Corner is an e-publication that presents:

(1) some of the most frequently asked questions by members about special education

(2) answers from experts in the field on the questions addressed. 

At NASET, we get many questions from our members about certain areas of interest.  The NASET Q & A Corner provides all members with the opportunities to have access to these questions, and more importantly, answers to them from professionals in the field.

Latest and Archived Questions

To access the full issue with the associated answers for each question, click on link to the specific issue.

Issue # 1 - NASET Q & A Corner

Issue # 2 Questions:

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Issue #3 Questions and Answers about Procedural Safeguards and Due Process

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Issue #4 Questions and Answers about the Annual Review

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Issue #5 Questions and Answers about Transition Services from School Age to Adult Life

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Issue #6 Questions and Answers about Understanding Basic Statistics and Scoring Terminology Used in Assessment

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Issue #7 Questions and Answers about Technology and Universal Design

This NASET Q & A Corner will provide you with the answers to the following questions about technology and universal design:  

Issue #8 Questions and Answers about Eligibility for Special Education and Procedural Safeguards Under IDEA

This NASET Q & A Corner will provide you with the answers to the following questions about technology and universal design:  

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Issue #9 Questions and Answers about Individualized Education Programs

This NASET Q & A Corner will provide you with the answers to the following questions about Individualized Education Programs:  

In addition to the questions answered in this issue, there is also a summary of the steps to developing and implementing an IEP.

Issue #10 Questions and Answers about No Child Left Behind:  Accountability and Testing

This NASET Q & A Corner will provide you with the answers to the following questions about Individualized Education Programs:  

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Issue #11 Questions and Answers about The Individual Evaluation Process for Special Education

This NASET Q & A Corner will provide you with the answers to the following questions about Individual Evaluation Process for Special Education:  

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Issue #12 Questions and Answers about DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES

This NASET Q & A Corner will provide you with the answers to the following questions about Individual Evaluation Process for Special Education:  

Issue #13 Questions and Answers On Highly Qualified Teachers Serving Children with Disabilities

This NASET Q & A Corner will provide you with the answers to the following questions about On Highly Qualified Teachers Serving Children with Disabilities:  

Issue #14 Questions and Answers On the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standards (NIMAS)

This NASET Q & A Corner will provide you with the answers to the following questions about On the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standards (NIMAS):  

Issue #15 Questions and Answers About Section 504

Section 504 is a federal law designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Section 504 provides: "No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States . . . shall solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance . . . ."

The Section 504 regulation requires a school district to provide a "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) to each qualified student with a disability who is in the school district's jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability. FAPE consists of the provision of regular or special education and related aids and services designed to meet the student's individual needs.

This NASET Q and Corner clarifies pertinent requirements of Section 504 and responds to specific questions raised by parents and school districts.

Issue #16 Questions and Answers About Vocational Assessments

Crossing the threshold from the world of school to the world of work brings a significant change in everyone's life. School is an entitlement, meaning that it is an environment that our system of government supplies for all of our citizens. The workplace is the opposite; no one is entitled to a job. One of the most important aspects of transition planning is the preparation of students for the world of work. Up to now, the focus has been on helping students fulfill the educational requirements for graduation from a secondary school. Now comes a very real and practical issue that can create many concerns. With the proper information and resources, this next phase of the transition process can also be very rewarding. Parents and educators must fully understand vocational options in order to help children make the best decisions for his or their future.

The purpose of this issue of the NASET Q & A Corner is to give you a strong working knowledge of vocational assessments.

Issue #17 Questions and Answers About Basic Special Education Jargon

Questions answered include:

Issue # 18 - Questions and Answers About The 10 Basic Steps in Special Education

The 10 Basic Steps in Special Education - A Handout for Parents

Children can have all sorts of difficulties growing up. Sometimes problems are obvious right from the start; and sometimes they don't appear until a child is in school. Some children have trouble learning to read or write. Others have a hard time remembering new information. Still others may have trouble with their behavior. For some children, growing up can be very hard to do! When a child is having trouble in school, it's important to find out why. The child may have a disability. By law, schools must provide special help to eligible children with disabilities. This help is called special education and related services. There's a lot to know about the process by which children are identified as having a disability and in need of special education and related services. This NASET Q & A Corner from NICHCY is written for parents to help them learn about that process.

Issue # 19 - Questions and Answers About Secondary Transition

IDEA and its implementing regulations continue to address transition services for children with disabilities. Transition services may be special education, if provided as specially designed instruction, or a related service, if required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education.   The term “transition services” means a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability that: (a) is designed to be within a results-oriented process that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child’s movement from school to post-school activities, including postsecondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, and community participation; (b) is based on the individual child’s needs, taking into account the child’s strengths, preferences, and interests; and (c) includes instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and, if appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation.  The focus of this issue of the NASET Q & A Corner is to address secondary transition services

Issue # 20 - Questions and Answers About Initial Referrals

Once the Child Study Team has determined that a student has a suspected disability, the team will make a referral for a comprehensive assessment. This assessment will be used along with other information to help determine the nature and type of disability of the student if one exists. This issue of the NASET Q & A Corner will address questions relating to initial referrals for special education services.

Issue # 21 - Questions and Answers About Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (over-activity). Parents and teachers can miss the fact that children with symptoms of inattention have the disorder because they are often quiet and less likely to act out. They may sit quietly, seeming to work, but they are often not paying attention to what they are doing. They may get along well with other children, compared with those with the other subtypes, who tend to have social problems. But children with the inattentive kind of ADHD are not the only ones whose disorders can be missed. Scientists are not sure what causes ADHD, although many studies suggest that genes play a large role. Like many other illnesses, ADHD probably results from a combination of factors. In addition to genetics, researchers are looking at possible environmental factors, and are studying how brain injuries, nutrition, and the social environment might contribute to ADHD. The focus of this issue of the NASET Q & A Corner will be on questions and answers related to ADHD.

Issue # 22 - Questions and Answers About Serving Children with Disabilities Eligible for Transportation

The IDEA and its implementing regulations continue to address the transportation needs of children with disabilities.  Transportation is a related service as defined by 34 CFR §300.34(c)(16) of the IDEA regulations and can include travel to and from school and between schools; travel in and around school buildings; and specialized equipment such as special or adapted buses, lifts, and ramps.  A child’s individualized education program (IEP) Team is responsible for determining both if transportation is required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education and related services, and how the transportation services should be implemented.  The IDEA and the implementing regulations also include travel training in the definition of special education.  Travel training is instruction that enables children with disabilities to develop an awareness of the environment in which they live, and to learn the skills necessary to move effectively and safely from place to place within that environment.  Both transportation and travel training are important services IEP Teams should continue to consider when they plan for a child’s postsecondary transition needs. This edition of NASET’s Q & A Corner (from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services) focuses on the latest federal regulations for serving children with disabilities eligible for transportation.

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Issue # 23 - Questions and Answers About Spina Bifida

The human nervous system develops from a small, specialized plate of cells along the back of an embryo.  Early in development, the edges of this plate begin to curl up toward each other, creating the neural tube—a narrow sheath that closes to form the brain and spinal cord of the embryo.  As development progresses, the top of the tube becomes the brain and the remainder becomes the spinal cord.  This process is usually complete by the 28th day of pregnancy.  But if problems occur during this process, the result can be brain disorders called neural tube defects, including spina bifida. The focus of this NASET Q & A Corner will be to address frequently asked questions about spina bifida.

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Issue # 24 - Questions and Answers About Seizures and Epilepsy

Few experiences match the drama of a convulsive seizure. A person having a severe seizure may cry out, fall to the floor unconscious, twitch or move uncontrollably, drool, or even lose bladder control. Within minutes, the attack is over, and the person regains consciousness but is exhausted and dazed. This is the image most people have when they hear the word epilepsy. However, this type of seizure -- a generalized tonic-clonic seizure -- is only one kind of epilepsy. There are many other kinds, each with a different set of symptoms.  Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain sometimes signal abnormally. Many people with epilepsy lead productive and outwardly normal lives. Medical and research advances in the past two decades have led to a better understanding of epilepsy and seizures than ever before. Advanced brain scans and other techniques allow greater accuracy in diagnosing epilepsy and determining when a patient may be helped by surgery. More than 20 different medications and a variety of surgical techniques are now available and provide good control of seizures for most people with epilepsy. Research on the underlying causes of epilepsy, including identification of genes for some forms of epilepsy and febrile seizures, has led to a greatly improved understanding of epilepsy that may lead to more effective treatments or even new ways of preventing epilepsy in the future.  Using research from from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the focus of this issue of the NASET Q & A Corner will be to address seizures and epilepsy.

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