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…

Background: Specialist short break services aim to provide enhanced support to family carers as a means of preventing children whose behaviours severely challenge from being placed in full-time residential care. To date, there is limited evidence as to the functioning and effectiveness of such services. Methods: In all, 17 children were selected…

The purpose of this project is to develop and to individually examine the efficacy of three different components of an integrated literacy program. No attempt is made to compare the components of the program to each other. Rather, the goal is to determine the effectiveness of each component of the program on the acquisition of the reading of…

Examination of an early intervention program featuring combination home- and center-based, transdisciplinary team services for children with moderate to severe disabilities and their parents indicated statistically significant positive behavioral changes for both children and their parents. No relationship was found, however, between amount of…

The Teaching Research Infant and Child Center classrooms service moderately to profoundly handicapped preschool children by providing comprehensive individualized curriculums emphasizing self help, motor development, language, and cognitive skills. Each model classroom contains 12 children with a teacher and an aide, and utilizes volunteers and…

Described is the H.E.L.P. (Handicapped Employability Learning Program) project for counseling severely handicapped (including cerebral palsied, emotionally disturbed, mentally retarded, and orthopedically handicapped) young adults aged 15 to 35 years. (SBH)

A family-focused intervention model was implemented with 16 families having young children (birth to 3 years) with moderate or severe disabilities. Individualized Family Service Plans were formulated and implemented, resulting in high levels of parental satisfaction, accelerated rates of progress by the children, and acquisition of functional…

The final report describes the accomplishments of the Carolina Institute for Research on Early Education for the Handicapped, a center sponsoring ecological research on families of young handicapped children. An introductory section outlines the institute's mission and administration. Eight research projects are detailed in as many chapters.…

The four-volume study compared the costs and characteristics of public and nonpublic special education programs serving moderately and severely handicapped students in Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS). Data are discussed according to five research questions. First, demographic characteristics are presented, and it is recommended…

The study examined how 620 children, identified as handicapped while in preschool or kindergarten, had progressed 3 to 9 years later. The study addressed questions of effectiveness of identification procedures, outcomes of early intervention, handicapping condition and placement level, and educational history. Among results were: Identification…

This report describes major activities and accomplishments of the Arkansas Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Enhancing Employability of Individuals with Disabilities from May 15, 1996 through May 14, 1997. The Center has a 5-year contract in the priority area of enhancing employability of individuals with severe disabilities. The…

This final report describes the PEERS (Providing Education for Everyone in Regular Schools) Project, a 5-year collaborative systems change project in California to facilitate the integration of students with severe disabilities who were previously served at special centers into services at regular schools and the integration of students in special…

This report contains selected preliminary findings from the Longitudinal Study of the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Service Program. The study, initiated in fall 1992, will produce a series of interim reports that address key policy questions. This third interim report presents data collected from VR consumers and their VR case files in 37 local…

This report is the first in a series of four final reports that present the findings of the Longitudinal Study of the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Program. Initiated in fall 1992, the study has tracked VR participation and post-VR experiences of applicants to and consumers of VR services (n=8,500) for up to 3 years following exit from…

Discusses theoretical bases and practical applications of therapeutic leisure and recreation programs in assisting children with mild, moderate, severe, and profound handicaps to become more accepted by their normal peers. Examples show how such activities can be designed to create an environment to facilitate the educational treatment of…