Social competency is a set of skills that provide children with the tools and abilities to successfully navigate the world around them. "Developing Social Competency in Young Children" looks at each of the seven Cs of social competence--communication, community building, coping, confidence, conflict resolution, control, and curiosity.…

Language training for severely developmentally delayed children in the home should be as undisruptive as possible and should use natural training contexts, emphasize functional responses, and provide natural reinforcers or consequences. After identifying the communicative contexts, teaching the response is accomplished through reinforcement,…

Describes several techniques that enable parents to prepare their preschool children for the actual process of learning how to read that they will encounter when they enter school. (FL)

Suggests ways parents can encourage the development of reading and thinking skills in their children. (Author/MP)

The author attempts to dispel some traditional myths and makes some suggestions for all educators to contemplate concerning mainstreaming. He examines the evolution of the special education concept, objections to mainstreaming, and strategies to aid the mainstreaming process--for instance, parent involvement and needs assessment. (CT)

Presents 19 guidelines for developing children's comprehension skills, addressed to elementary teachers and to parents of preschoolers (53 references). (SJL)

This paper discusses two reading comprehension strategies for teachers to incorporate into their teaching methods. The paper reviews research and suggests techniques to support these strategies, vocabulary packs and cued spelling. Vocabulary packs, an effective strategy to increase reading comprehension, allow students to work independently on…

The paper describes methods of natural language enhancement which both teachers and parents can use with young children who have language delays. The importance of connecting language to meaningful, functional communication is stressed. The reinforcement for the child becomes the adult's natural and spontaneous response. Adults, then, must prove…

Contributors (1) offer suggestions about using the newspaper for vocabulary development and involving students in problem solving activities, (2) describe a course designed for parents who want to help their children with reading, and (3) discuss the names of diacritical marks. (FL)

This article presents information to help the teacher recognize and teach children with special learning needs. Suggestions for diagnosis, classroom strategies, and ideas for home use are offered. Resources for teacher use follow the article. (DF)

In schooling, a learning community is founded on its members, consisting of teachers, children, parents and people who care. As the person with the professional responsibility for building and sustaining a learning community, the teacher is challenged to attend closely to three key areas: classroom environment, curriculum, and social…

Details the external and internal elements of book sharing, activities that could follow, and the essential enrichment possibilities. Mentions specific book titles, activities, and goals to provide a guide for the interested teacher or parent. (FL)

Intended for teachers and parents, the handbook provides suggestions for diagnosis and remediation of the learning disability dysgraphia (difficulty with handwriting). The seven chapters have the following titles and sample subtopics: (1) "The Student with a Learning Disability" (what causes dysgraphia, the Gerstmann Syndrome); (2) "Parents'…

This article describes the communication roles of both caregivers and professionals who have contact with young children with disabilities. It presents principles that underlie adult communicative strategy use with this population, along with specific suggestions for facilitating communicative competence. (Author/DB)

Pointing out that the label of dyslexia carries an acute stigma of mental incompetence (and the researcher/author is herself dyslexic), this booklet intends to provide educators and parents with a frame of reference regarding the topic of dyslexia. Defining dyslexia broadly as "characterized by a consistent difficulty with processing…