A multicomponent training package (live training, video modeling, role playing, and feedback) was used to train teachers to conduct assessment and to instruct students with profound multiple disabilities. Phase 1 of the study involved training seven teachers to conduct assessment in three areas: (a) preference assessment (i.e., identification of…

The paper notes the difficulties with most formal tests of language skills when applied to the assessment of communication and precommunication skills in individuals with severe and multiple handicaps. General principles for assessment and a flexible assessment device are summarized. The Functional Communication Assessment is offered as a basic…

The manual describes a procedure to assess to what extent a deaf-blind multiply handicapped student uses his residual hearing in the classroom. Six levels of auditory functioning (awareness/reflexive, attention/alerting, localization, auditory discrimination, recognition, and comprehension) are analyzed, and assessment activities are detailed for…

The training manual was developed as a result of a summer training institute held in 1986 for teachers of low-incidence populations (those made up of students with severe and multiply handicapping conditions). The institute aimed to provide teachers with the latest information and technology to assess and develop early communication skills, and…

This volume is a guide for assessing children with dual sensory or severe impairments between the ages of 6 and 15. It presents a functional-ecological assessment process that is individually determined, contextually based, and leads directly to intervention. It begins by discussing the benefits of this model over standardized assessment…

This manual presents an assessment instrument designed to help teachers, educational specialists, speech-language therapists, psychologists, and other service providers evaluate the communication skills of children, adolescents, and young adults who have multiple disabilities, including severe or profound mental retardation and deafblindness. It…

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,…

The final report summarizes activities regarding development of the Early Childhood Education for the Severely/Multiply Handicapped Project, a model demonstration program providing comprehensive and direct educational services to 0 to 6 year old children and their parents. The program and curriculum design is based on two phases--the early…

Designed to assist in the selection of appropriate literacy media for students with visual impairments, this guide outlines the essential elements of learning media assessments. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the learning media assessment (LMA) process. Included is a discussion of Texas law and regulations that govern LMA. Chapter 2 documents…

Social validation procedures were used to evaluate the extent to which 72 professional staff, 47 nonhandicapped peers, and 47 parents perceived and valued changes in leisure time behavior that occurred with seven severely mentally retarded and multiply handicapped adolescents. (Author/SEW)

Results of the 1981-1982 Rutland Center project in Athens, Georgia, which assists agencies in improving services to seriously emotionally disturbed children (2 to 8 years old), are presented, as are program materials, survey forms, and a newsletter. Outcome data are presented regarding therapeutic classroom services provided to 549 severely…

The monograph presents information designed to help speech/language pathologists in South Carolina improve the quality of services for children with communication disorders while still complying with mandates of P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. A discussion is presented regarding a continuum of appropriate services,…

This volume is a guide for assessing children with dual sensory or severe impairments between birth and age 5. It begins by discussing a functional-ecological three-step assessment process for children birth to three years, and the steps for assessing preschoolers from three to five years old. It then describes six steps to guide the use of the…

Because of the diversity, range, and combination of disabilities at the Center for Multiple-Handicapped Children, operated under the auspices of the New York City Board of Education, a unique instrument was needed for assessing functional levels, setting goals, and charting progress of handicapped children in special education facilities, regular…

The purpose of this manual is to guide Individualized Education Program (IEP)/transition planning teams in assessing the transition needs of individuals with dual sensory or multiple impairments, who are between the ages of 14 and the mid-20s. It presents a person- and family-centered approach that develops a personal profile of the individual in…