Schools have continued to rely on paraeducators to assist special education teachers and other professionals in the provision of special education and related services. Although paraeducators often support students with extensive support needs (ESN) in a range of school environments, the subset of intervention studies focused on paraeducators who…

The involvement of paraprofessionals in the education of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has been both complex and controversial. Many scholars and advocates have raised concerns about the roles these staff members play in schools and the degree to which there is empirical support for their direct work with…

Addresses the managed health care initiatives which impact the way that social workers deliver services to people with severe mental illness. Recommends social workers stay abreast of developments in managed care, use efficacy information more systematically, and promote consumer involvement in the design, implementation, and monitoring of managed…

This review of the literature on supported employment for individuals with severe disabilities begins by outlining two Federal definitions of supported employment and noting their similarities. Literature on approaches to supported employment is examined, focusing on individual jobs at distributed or scattered sites, enclaves, mobile crews, and…

This article reanalyzes the principle of partial participation in integrated educational programing for students with severe or profound disabilities. The article presents four "error patterns" in how the concept has been used, some reasons why such error patterns have occurred, and strategies for avoiding these errors. (Author/JDD)

The success of community-based instructional programs for students with moderate/severe handicaps depends on leadership provided by special education administrators. Potential problem areas in which proactive administrative efforts are particularly needed include: providing leadership to staff and parents; staff hiring, allocation, and teaming;…

This document contains 16 papers that were scheduled to be presented at a conference (which was canceled) on approaches and programs for helping developmentally disabled persons to be more self-sufficient. The book is divided into three sections: (1) unmasking vocational abilities, (2) enhancing functional independence, and (3) medical and…