Ten steps are usually necessary for successful mainstreaming of handicapped children: (1) Assess the handicapped child's readiness for mainstreaming; (2) Assess the parents' readiness level; (3) Meet with the school or agency's chief administrator; (4) Arrange visits to potential mainstreaming sites; (5) Confer with teachers at the chosen site;…

Findings are presented from an experimental study of consultants, a three-year project funded by the Human Services Development Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the purpose of which was to provide a technology for use by consultants within youth-serving organizations in the diffusion and utilization of innovative programs.…

This paper addresses the role of the local Head Start program mental health consultant and outlines ways in which the program can assure optimal use of the consultant's services. The Head Start program incorporates the services of a local consultant to promote the mental health of children and parents. The specialist's role is to assist staff and…

This manual is intended to assist facilitators helping educational organizations plan and implement the School Planning, Evaluation, and Communication System (SPECS). The first section describes each component of SPECS and includes information about documents and data necessary for implementing the system. Section Two provides actual activities to…

This paper reviews some major lessons learned by participants in the Follow Through programs about the process ofimplementing innovative educational programs and outlines how these lessons were recorded and formulated for use by others. Using a perspective and method derived from anthropology and oral history these program aspects are described:…

This guide to inservice education is designed to help people in school systems (teachers, administrators, counselors, evaluators, and paraprofessionals) with the selection and use of the skills and knowledge of those university faculty committed to inservice education. Consultants are listed who are willing to serve as leaders of workshops,…

Consultation with community mental health agencies is necessary, the rationale being that: (1) traditional approaches of therapy are expensive; (2) consultation can interrelate total existing social service networks; and (3) community change requires cooperation between community agencies and community resources. The consultant and consultees can…

Describes development and utilization of microcomputer center at Nyack Hospital which decentralized information processing and implemented small-scale automation. Highlights include microcenter's role in: (1) training hospital staff in using database management; (2) providing advice, software/hardware evaluations, and purchasing assistance; and…

The article offers guidelines to special educators designed to improve consultation skills, specifically in observing the referral settings, clarifying roles, establishing referent power, maintaining positive expectations, and planning and monitoring the intervention program. (CL)

This manual is a guide to consultation and collaboration for educators of gifted children and is based on the Resource Consultation and Collaboration Program implemented at 10 schools in Charlotte, North Carolina, over 2 years. Individual chapters of the manual address the following topics: (1) overview of resource consultation and collaboration…

This paper describes Education Review Teams as an evolution of practice stemming from evidence of the effectiveness of teacher assistance teams and teacher support teams. Evidence showing the value of adding a monitoring function, subject area consultation, and the authority to allocate resources to these teams is offered. (DB)

This paper speaks to the need for a methodology for planning indirect services of a mental health nature in schools. For indirect services to be relevant, plans for intervention need to be based on: (1) comprehensive information about the school; (2) systematic procedures for estimating the relative salience of various problems identified in the…

This report describes the Integrated Services Consultant Model (ISCM) and the strategies used in implementing the model in 12 elementary schools in southern California. A reprint from the November 1986 issue of "Focus on Exceptional Children" of an article by Lenny Reisberg and Ronald Wolf titled "Developing a Consulting Program in…

The manual describes a variety of media approaches in the United States, Hong Kong, India, and Pakistan to changing attitudes toward the disabled. Four principles of media communications are stressed: (1) children's television is an important vehicle for changing attitudes; (2) it is vital to know the audience; (3) active participation by the…

The Enabler Model (EM), a non-prescriptive approach to help communities implement their early childhood programs, is described in this paper. The model is based on the positive educational value of human individuality, the life-long ability of all humans to learn and develop, and the power of human sociability in determining the content, extent,…