The paper is a product of the 3-year project, "Functional Mainstreaming for Success," designed to develop a model for instructional mainstreaming of handicapped children (3-6 years old) in community settings. The paper reviews the literature defining "mainstreaming," notes that mainstreaming is not the wholesale return of exceptional students from…

This discussion reviews the literature regarding consultation as a form of indirect service delivery in early intervention for children with disabilities, identifies barriers to effective consultation practice, and concludes that consultation can allow children with disabilities to receive intervention services in integrated settings if…

The article presents an historical review of specialized education for blind and visually impaired children in India and specifically addresses the issue of mainstreaming these students into integrated settings. Data and discussion of rural education projects and teacher training programs are outlined. (Author/DB)

The monograph addresses issues in needs assessment for the inservice education of teachers of handicapped children. Chapter 1, "Self Diagnosis Regarding Needs Assessment" (M. Walker), emphasizes the importance of local personnel involvement and provides a checklist for readers to assess their knowledge on the context, methodology, and application.…

The article presents a five-step model for implementing a consulting teacher model and effective interventions for mildly handicapped students in regular education settings. Interventions include principles of effective teaching, mastery learning, peer and cross-age tutoring, cooperative learning groups, and instruction in metacognitive learning…

The paper is a product of the 3-year project, "Functional Mainstreaming for Success," designed to develop a model for instructional mainstreaming of handicapped children (3-6 years old) in community settings. Evidence is presented of major competency deficiencies in both the pre-service and inservice training of regular teachers being asked to…

Progress has been made in serving rural students with low-incidence handicaps after the implementation of Public Law 94-142, yet research indicates that this category of students is still the most difficult population to serve. Hence, designing least restrictive environment (LRE) services is crucial in further improving this type of program.…

This introductory paper identifies critical issues related to organization of caregiving environments for young children with handicaps, including physical and programmatic features, transitions between activities, transition between special preschool and kindergarten settings, classroom organization, the social-physical environment, the home…

Based upon recent research, this article provides an update of best practices for inclusive education in the areas of program options, curriculum design, classroom environment, social interaction, communication, family inclusion, and support services that will help preschool teachers more effectively serve both normal and developmentally disabled…

Eleven papers focus on issues in inservice education for helping experienced teachers accommodate handicapped children in the regular school setting. Two introductory chapters ("Overview" and "The School Based Teacher Educator: Developing a Conceptual Framework" both by K. Howey and D. Corrigan) make a case for developing a…

The effects of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 in relation to public school physical education programs are considered. (PHR)

This paper offers a literature review of materials concerning inclusion of students with disabilities, and reports on the 3-year development of an inclusion program at one elementary school in Texas. The literature review is organized into sections which address legislative initiatives and law, special education programs with mainstreaming, the…

The fourth in a series from a study of least restrictive environment (LRE) placement for handicapped students identifies exemplary practices useful in arriving at LRE placements. Analysis of state documents and observations of 134 placement team meetings held in five states were carried out. Noteworthy approaches are summarized for five…

This paper reviews the literature on inclusion of children with emotional and behavioral disorders in regular education classrooms and proposes implementation of an inclusion program at one elementary school in Texas. The literature review covers the following aspects of inclusion: teacher selection and their expectations, professional…

Literature on the topic of preparing teachers for mainstreaming was reviewed, with focus on research and writings involving: (1) teacher attitudes toward mainstreaming; (2) teachers' expressed needs in regard to mainstreaming; (3) development of preservice education programs which provide a base of knowledge and experience in mainstreaming; (4)…