The purpose of this study is to examine and compare kindergarten and special kindergarten teachers' perceptions of their own competence in early childhood special education (ECSE) in Finnish day care. This comparison is based on the kindergarten teachers' and special kindergarten teachers' self-evaluation. Teachers evaluated their theoretical and…

Equine-assisted therapies are interventions that use the unique qualities of a horse to assist persons with disabilities to improve their gross motor, language, social, and self-help skills. Programs offering these services are varied and operate on all major continents across the world. The effectiveness of equine-assisted therapies is generally…

The Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) is a parent-completed measure designed to identify subtle motor problems in children of 8 to 14.6 years of age. The purpose of this study was to extend the lower age range to children aged 5 to 7 years, revise items to ensure clarity, develop new scoring, and evaluate validity of the…

Roughly 54 million people with disabilities live in the U.S., and there are many more millions of people with disabilities around the world. Not surprisingly, differences among and between people with disabilities are often as notable as differences between people with and without disabilities. While the lack of homogeneity among people with…

In white matter disorders such as leukodystrophies (LD), periventricular leucomalacia (PVL), or multiple sclerosis (MS), the hypomyelination or the remyelination failure by oligodendrocyte progenitor cells involves errors in the sequence of events that normally occur during development when progenitors proliferate, migrate through the white…

Summarizes the 1997 amendments to IDEA in hopes that a solid understanding of the law will clarify the current rights of children and help inform advocacy efforts toward future amendments. Some of the changes include clarification of these terms: child with a disability; developmental delay; related services; supplementary aids; transition…

Research has shown that children with disabilities are often rejected by their peers and are rarely selected as playmates. The purpose of this study was to investigate preschoolers' preferences for children with physical or developmental disabilities or typically developing children in hypothetical situations. Sixty-four preschool children from…

This collection of five factsheets provides basic information about the need for and provision of respite care services for particular populations. Each factsheet is presented in a format which provides some background information on the population, a brief discussion of the purpose of respite care programs for this group, a discussion of the…

Supported-employment employees participated in an adventure-therapy program designed to enhance self-esteem and facilitate an internal locus of control. Results indicated that persons assigned to the experimental treatment group gained greater self-esteem and a larger shift toward internality than did the control group. Effects dissipated over a…

Play is a central facilitating element of early development. As a child plays, he or she practices spontaneously cognitive, emotional, and motor abilities. This research project, part of a larger project on early intervention with young disabled children, investigated the play of children with a motor handicap. The sample consisted of 61 disabled…

This literature review discusses cultural influences on individuals with disabilities and describes three historical models of disability--the moral model, medical model, and sociological/environmental/civil rights/minority group model. The use of alcohol and drugs by disabled persons is explored, focusing on individuals with orthopedic and…

Reviews the literature in two areas of research concerned with social development of siblings. Compares and contrasts studies of sibling relationships of handicapped children with the wider literature on nonhandicapped siblings. Focus is on methodological and conceptual features. (RWB)

Discusses work on a pilot project to develop guidelines for accessible interpretation that integrates disabled and mainstream visitors. Discusses program and facility designs and suggests ways to make existing interpretive programs more accessible to visitors with disabilities. (LZ)

In 1992, survey data were gathered from 619 public and private community, technical, and junior college disability support service (DSS) personnel regarding DSS services and accommodations in those institutions during the 1991-92 academic year. Designed as a resource for administrators, counselors, students, parents, and policymakers, this report…

This book is a resource for human service professionals with detailed information necessary to start, maintain, monitor, assess, and reevaluate a program targeting independence. It describes the Whole Life Program, an interdependent apartment program combined with continuing education for adults with developmental, physical, and emotional…