An evaluation of a Vietnamese program to include children with disabilities in preschools found it had a positive effect on the lives of the children and increased community awareness of issues related to children with disabilities. The need for in-depth teacher training and implementation of individualized education services is discussed.…

This study examined the effects of a highly structured, personally tailored enrichment program for 108 students in grades 4 through 6 who were gifted and learning disabled. Results indicate that year-long participation in the program had significant positive impact on attitudes toward school, self-concept, and creative production. (Author/SW)

This article discusses how the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) encourages educational reform if that reform is guided by research and improves special education for children with disabilities and examines how the IDEA discourages educational practices that minimize the individual needs of the disabled through standardization of…

The Seattle (Washington) Homeless Adolescent Research Project implemented Project Passage to provide individualized mental health services to homeless adolescents, involving assessment, linkage, advocacy, counseling, treatment teams, and crisis service. Participants evidenced lower levels of aggression and greater satisfaction with quality of life…

Guidelines are presented for individualizing daily schedules or routines to reflect better the preferred lifestyles of persons with severe handicaps. Four dimensions that can be systematically manipulated to address challenging behavior are presented, including timing of routines, form of the activities, pattern of succession of activities, and…

This naturalistic study analyzed videotape recordings of nine individualized family service plan meetings in early intervention programs attempting to actively involve parents in the planning process. Results indicated that parents have attained partial decision-making power, but greater attention to parent participation is needed in goal setting,…

Although schools generally provide safe environments, teachers, staff, parents, and students are concerned with the rising level of disruptive, antisocial behavior (Horner, Sugai, Lewis-Palmer, & Todd, 2001). Only a relatively small number of students in a school building engage in the most serious and/or chronic problem behaviors. However, these…

This handbook for parents describes the transition planning process for youth with disabilities. The handbook is divided into four sections: an overview of the who, what, where, when, why, and how of transition; consideration and evaluation of future options for the young person; home, school, and community activities that can be immediately…

This digest summarizes information on the roles of the Federal Government, the family, and teachers in preparing young children with disabilities for school. Noted are relevant provisions of Public Law 99-457, the 1986 Amendments to the Education of the Handicapped Act (Part B), including development of Individualized Family Service Plans to aid…

This brief paper summarizes research findings concerning the identification and implementation of effective practices in early childhood intervention for children with disabilities. First, research documenting the effectiveness of early childhood intervention is noted and the importance of developing individualized programs within integrated early…

This document provides a guide to quality treatment foster care programming for children with special emotional, behavioral, medical or developmental needs. Treatment foster care meets the needs of such children and their families through implementation of home-treatment plans by foster parents who are trained, supervised, and supported by social…

This booklet is designed for public school therapists engaged in the treatment of stuttering in the elementary school. Over 50 questions are posed, regarding treatment of young stutterers in the school, and answers are provided by a panel of 10 leading authorities in the speech therapy field. Topics covered include: (1) differences between…

Recent controversy in the treatment of communication apprehension and avoidance has centered around whether an individual's communicative difficulties are caused by communicative (skills) deficiency or psychological problems (anxiety). Such debates are not new; arguments about whether to treat communicative difficulties from a communicative or…

Described is the diagnostic teaching model developed by the Illinois Regional Resource Center to provide assessment and programing for children with unexplained handicaps. The model is explained to involve a multidisciplinary approach and to include six basic components: referals, information gathering, diagnosis, prescription, consultation, and…