A growing emphasis on effecting systems change in the education of individuals with severe disabilities poses many challenges. Although the depth and breadth of knowledge on effective change strategies is considerable, comparatively little has been written that functionally weds this knowledge base to an adequate conception of systems. This article develops a framework for a common definition of system and system change, which currently is lacking in the literature. The framework draws heavily from current understandings within chaos theory, quantum physics, and self-ordering systems about how naturally occurring systems operate. The framework provides the flexibility to be applied to various systems, while at the same time approaching the understanding and change of these systems with consistency.
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