A brief overview of special education law with focus on autism.

Turnbull et al. (2002) wrote a plain-language guide to special-education law. They focused on the two big statutes that cover students with autism: IDEA and Section 504.

The paper walks you through free appropriate public education, individualized services, and the procedural safeguards that schools must give families.

The review does not report new data. Instead it maps out your legal toolkit: the right to an IEP, related services, and due-process hearings.

It also flags common trouble spots, like who qualifies and how to document need.

Chan et al. (2022) extend the map into daily practice. They show that Classroom Pivotal Response Teaching meets IDEA's call for evidence-based help while still feeling like regular school.

Sarrett (2018) moves the lens to college. Autistic adults say universities must add sensory rooms and peer mentors to the basic academic accommodations that IDEA starts in K-12.

García-Villamisar et al. (2017) give a concrete example: one middle-schooler gained strong reading-comprehension skills after a short BST package, showing how an evidence-based tactic satisfies the free-appropriate-education clause.

You can hand this 2002 paper to a new teacher or parent in five minutes. It tells them what the law promises. Pair it with Chan et al. (2022) to show how to deliver those promises without turning the classroom into a clinic. Use Sarrett (2018) when you plan transition meetings so families know college supports look different. Keep García-Villamisar et al. (2017) in your back pocket as a sample IEP goal that is both legal and doable.