Fifteen behavioral indices derived from information gathered by the National Center for Health Statistics Health Examination Surveys Cycle II (with a sample of 7,119 six to eleven year old children) and III (with a sample of 6,768 twelve to seventeen year old children) were investigated for differences related to the age of the mother of the…

The study involving 96 undergraduates with no previous experience with braille investigated variables (such as size of the braille symbols) affecting the learning of braille. Data were analyzed in terms of the number of correct responses, item difficulty, and error patterns. Visual Ss did better than haptic Ss on the regular bralle items but not…

A study of 141 hearing impaired students (ages 8 to 18 years) was conducted to assess how common gender neutral terms (such as "someone,""people,""student," and "child'" are understood by such students. The influence of multiple factors that might relate to hearing impaired children's processing of gender neutral terms was examined by means of a…

The document reports results of a survey involving 4,427 community residential facilities (CRFs) for mentally retarded individuals. The report is divided into four major sections: Part I includes a review of the status of CRFs prior to the 1977 survey; Part II describes the methods and procedures used in conducting the survey; Part III presents…

The educational needs of 73 children who exhibited characteristics associated with autism were studied. Ss were children clinically diagnosed as autistic and having severe communication and behavior disorders. Trained observers completed behavioral observations, teacher interviews, student record reviews, and behavior and language questionnaires.…

The relationship of lateral awareness and directionality with intellectual ability, academic achievement, and age was investigated with 288 first through third grade elementary school children. With the exception of first graders, Ss were administered three tests: the Lockavitch Test for Lateral Awareness and Directionality (LTLAD), the Short Form…

In Louisiana, the Early Childhood Evaluation Project undertook to study the feasibility of screening preschool children for potential handicaps in rural and urban areas using relatively untrained university students and to evaluate the cost effectiveness of different screening instruments. Findings showed that the largest number of children were…

The study investigated the number; experience; qualifications; other variables (age, salary, and employment levels); and attrition of special education professional personnel in Michigan. Among findings were that the peak employment of new teachers of mentally handicapped occurred in 1976-77, followed by a drop and leveling of employment in the…

As part of Project BICAR (Binford Individualized Curriculum and Analysis Research), the study determined the effects of sequentially based objectives and criterion referenced tests on academic performance of 42 second, fourth, and sixth graders (eight of whom tested 1 to 4 years below grade level). A review of the literature supported the premise…

In a replication of a 1977 study, questionnaires and directed telephone interviews were used to gather information about programs preparing vocational and special education personnel to work with special needs students. Comparison of 142 returned questionnaires with 1977 results revealed that the relative order of coursework concentrations had…

One hundred thirty-five Japanese university students participated in a study of attitudes toward the physically handicapped. Results supported the hypothesis that the attitudes of the nonhandicapped toward physically handicapped persons with desirable personality traits were more positive than attitudes toward those with undesirable personality…

The study was designed to assess the parenting and child rearing attitudes of four parent populations: abusive parents (N=24), foster parents (N=99), parents of handicapped children (N=171), and nonabusive parents (N=47). Demographic data was collected on the four populations and Ss were administered the Adolescent Parenting Inventory. Among…

Three concurrent validity studies were conducted on the relationship between performances on formative measures of spelling and performances on standardized spelling achievement measures using learning disabled (LD) and non-LD elementary students. Results of correlational analysis for four formative measures and three standardized measures…

Information, obtained from the annual survey of the Office of Demographic Studies, on the ethnic background of 44,000 hearing impaired students in special education programs in 1972-73 was related to other key demographic characteristics and to national and regional population figures. Data is presented for the categories of White, Black,…

Three concurrent validity studies were conducted to determine the relationship between performances on formative measures of reading and standardized achievement measures of reading. Correlational analyses for five formative measures and three standardized measures provided evidence for the validity of Words in Isolation, Words in Context, and…