Using samples from the Total Diet Study, the average dietary intake per person of fluoride in the United Kingdom is estimated to be 1.82 mg day-1. Beverages account for 71 % of the total dietary intake and tea contributes most to the intake from the beverages group. Above-average consumption of tea, as recorded in Great Britain, could result in fluoride intakes as high as 8.9 mg day-1. It is estimated that tap water containing 1 mg litre-1 of fluoride could increase normal dietary intakes by 54%. Individual foods have been analysed and the results show that tea infusions and foods containing skin or bone have higher fluoride concentrations than other foods. Concentrations as high as 44 mg kg-1 were found in the tail meat of krill, and a sample of mechanically deboned meat contained 2.8 mg kg-1 fluoride. Samples of flour, bread, vegetables, meat and fish products and infant foods generally contained less than 1 me kg-1 of fluoride. Soft drinks from an area with a fluoridated water supply had a higher fluoride concentration than samples taken from an area with unfluoridated water.

An integral element of maximizing positive postschool outcomes for youth with disabilities is interagency collaboration. Centers for Independent Living (CILs) can be critical service providers for youth and young adults with disabilities. This study explored CIL professionals’ contributions in supporting transition-age youth. Furthermore, the study examined these professionals’ perspectives of why CIL involvement is vital in transition service delivery. Eight dyads consisting of a CIL administrator and a CIL staff member providing direct services to transition-age youth with disabilities were interviewed from eight CILs from across the country. Thematic analysis of each interview transcript yielded themes related to the scope of services that CILs are providing in tandem with special education professionals, and why CIL professionals believe their involvement in secondary transition is critical. Findings included that interview participants delineated three overarching areas where CILs support transition-age youth while collaborating with schools. Furthermore, the findings showed that the crucial nature of CIL involvement in the transition service delivery process is rooted in several value-based principles. These five value-based principles were as follows: (a) Empowerment-, autonomy-, and independence-based, (b) youth-led and individualized, (c) strengths-based and goal-driven, (d) peer-based and disability-pride-driven, and (e) ensuring services were available and accessible. These findings, implications for practice, and future research directions are also discussed.

There are many known barriers facing youth with disabilities as they make the transition from high school to their adult lives. One potential barrier receiving increased attention over the last 5 years is guardianship, the court petition-driven process by which adults with disabilities are declared incapacitated (i.e., unable to make or communicate decisions regarding their affairs). The result of this process is the appointment of a surrogate decision-maker known as a guardian. Depending on the nature of the court order, some rights like entering into contracts might transfer to the guardian, other rights may be retained by the “ward,” and other rights like marrying might be removed altogether. Guardianship has been framed as antithetical to the aims of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and contrary to research demonstrating the importance of self-determination for young adults with disabilities. Few studies, however, have examined the perspectives of professionals in special education leadership roles on issues related to special education, guardianship, self-determination, and alternatives to guardianship. This study surveyed professionals in district- and school-level special education leadership roles ( N = 117) to examine their perspectives on what “should” be done and what is actually being done relative to issues surrounding guardianship in their district. Subsequent descriptive and inferential analyses show a stark incongruence between that which professionals value regarding this domain and the current reality of practice in their local areas. Salient findings with important implications for special education policy and future research are presented and discussed.

The importance of interagency collaboration to support the postschool outcomes of youth with disabilities is underscored in many ways. Perhaps one of the most important among them is the place of interagency collaboration as an evidenced-based predictor of postschool success. Although Centers for Independent Living (CILs) receive federal funding to serve people with disabilities across the lifespan, little research exists to map the nature of their collaboration with local education agencies (LEAs) to this end. The current survey-based study examined perceptions of professionals in both settings (i.e., LEAs and CILs) on their current level of collaboration with one another and the value-based principles they believe influence their work as they support transition-age youth with disabilities ( n = 581). Findings indicate a widespread belief in the importance of CILs in youth transition service delivery, a stark contrast between CIL and school-based transition professional perceptions of current collaboration, and a dynamic landscape of shared and divergent ratings of importance across value-based principles of transition practice. Practical implications are outlined to inform CIL and LEA collaboration to support youth with disabilities alongside directions for future research.

A confluence of research and current events in the United States has brought guardianship for people with disabilities into focus in recent years. In the process, the field of special education has been confronted with an unpleasant reality. In their action or inaction, special education professionals may play a role in parents of students with disabilities pursuing undue and overbroad guardianship. The purpose of this study was to work with researchers and practitioners supporting alternatives to guardianship to gather their foremost recommendations for the field of special education on addressing the use of undue guardianship. To this end, the researchers conducted a three-round Delphi study with these established professionals to solicit, rate, and revise their ratings of related recommendations toward achieving consensus. The 30 top recommendations they offered have been collected here and discussed in terms of their relevance for policy, practice, and research in the field.