ABSTRACT
The research and related scholarly literature on learning disabilities and behavioral and emotional disturbances in children and adolescents have grown at an exponential rate over the past 25 years. In addition, during this time period, the U.S. Congress passed two major revisions of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 1997, 2004)—legislation that guarantees all children who have a disability a free and appropriate education until they reach 22 years of age. The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) also guarantees individuals with disabilities equal access and protection from discrimination in the work place and all public settings. Another federal act, No Child Left Behind (NCLB; 2001 had a pronounced infl uence on the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA. In this regard, the NCLB Act indicates that states and local school districts need to demonstrate that federal funds are spent on programs that have a “scientifi cally based research” record (Feuer, Towne, & Shavelson, 2002). Thus, the overarching implication of IDEA 2004 is that special educators must attempt to improve services for students with disabilities by providing meaningful educational programs that are grounded in research-based practices (Yell, Shriner, & Katsiyannis, 2006).
