Research-supported ideas for implementing reauthorized IDEA with intelligent professional psychological services

Abstract

The recent reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA; 2004) is first discussed in its historical context. Then, a programmatic line of research (funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development since 1989) is described that is relevant to a proposed model for universal screening, providing instruction for grade-appropriate target reading or writing skills for at-risk students, monitoring student response to instruction, and diagnosing when necessary. It is recommended that the reauthorization of IDEA include the following in services for students with specific learning disabilities: Cognitive, Achievement, and Process Assessment (CAP), Implementation of Scientifically Supported Instruction (SSI), Response to Intervention (RTI), and Differential Diagnosis for Teaching (D²T). State legal code for the reauthorization of IDEA should allow school psychologists flexibility to practice their craft according to current scientific knowledge, professional standards, and best practices of their profession, coupled with Caring, Connecting, and Communicating (C³), so that students with specific learning disabilities and other developmental disabilities are well served. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 781–796, 2006.