"Special Education for Young Learners with Disabilities" brings together leaders in the field of young children with disabilities, to present their ideas and research on different disability topics. Beginning with an introduction to the topic, the remaining chapters include discussions on learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral…

Discusses the importance of musical experiences to the multiply handicapped and presents mechanical aids which allow the physically disabled to play string and percussion instruments. Some of these aids are illustrated. (SJL)

The paper discusses ways in which the Apple II plus and Apple IIe computers can be adapted to become highly effective tools in the education of the physically/multiply handicapped student. The role of word processing programs as communication aids, alternative input and output devices, and innovative software programs is examined. Among the…

Reevaluation of two studies on relationships between nonhandicapped and severely mentally retarded children (ages 8-12) suggested that nonhandicapped children work harder, receive and emit fewer social reinforcers, have less opportunity to play and have fun, and achieve lower levels of social play when the playmate is physically handicapped as…

An art teacher describes some of her techniques for working with trainable mentally retarded (TMR) students who are also physically disabled. Included are lesson planning, student needs, and adapted materials. Part of a theme issue on art education for children with special needs. (SJL)

Research on emergent literacy is applied to children with severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI). Factors shown to have the greatest influence on emerging literacy skills are identified, as are diverging experiences of young children with SSPI. Intervention strategies suggested for these children include increasing access to books and…

This article describes addition of a "learn a routine" procedure to functional visual assessments of children with severe neurological and physical disabilities. The procedure capitalizes on the child's interest of the moment and provides information on the child's patterns of responses, ability to accommodate to variations of a stimulus, and…

Examines the areas of visual and physical efficiency that are important to reading and writing braille or large print and conditions and modifications that may be used to make the selected media effective for individuals who have both visual and physical impairments. (Author/DB)

The guidelines discuss appropriate educational services for children with special health problems. An initial chapter considers the range of common needs of this population, including modification of daily schedule and health related services. Five suggestions are offered to support families, among them understanding needs and rights and…

This article considers classroom instruction in reading and writing for children with severe speech and physical impairments (e.g., cerebral palsy). A model of classroom instruction (involving teacher characteristics, context, process, and product) is offered, effective instructional strategies are identified, and recommendations are made to…

Using manual, hardware, and software adaptations, teachers are able to use computer-based educational programing with learning-disabled students who have physical handicaps. This paper describes such technology as keyguards, alternative keyboards, scanning systems, switches, and spelling and grammar checkers. (JDD)

The Total Communication Checklist and Assessment screening tool for multihandicapped students is presented to assist the language examiner to select areas requiring more precise testing. The checklist, which contains 196 rating entries, consists of the following four sections: (1) readiness for symbolic communication, (2) preference for speech,…

Orthopedically handicapped (OH, N=353) twelfth graders were compared to a control group. Blacks were under-represented in the OH cohort, and OH students had a higher incidence of other impairments. Academically the OH teenagers performed competitively with classmates, though they experienced difficulties in self-esteem, locus of contrtol, and…

This article describes a conceptual model of the literacy learning process in individuals with severe congenital speech and motor impairments. The literature is reviewed on the relationship between spoken and written language development in both the nondisabled population and those with disabilities. Practical applications for instruction are…

This manual describes a project (a joint, cooperative venture among local businesses, Roberta B. Tully School--Louisville, Kentucky--and the Kentucky State Office of Vocational Education) that outlines the process for beginning a community-based vocational education program for mentally, physically, and multiply handicapped students. Section I…