This study compared perceptions of staff in self-contained programs and mainstreamed programs for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in a district committed to inclusion, interagency coordination, and staff training. Well-established self-contained programs were perceived as superior to relatively new mainstream programs in…

Despite the growing momentum of the special education consultation movement, data indicate that in practice special educators spend very little time in a consulting role. The article examines the emergence of the consulting movement and barriers impeding the integration of consultation into the role of the special educator. (Author/JW)

Comparison of the efficacy of integrating 41 elementary school students with moderate mental retardation into either regular classes, a special class with a community-based program, or a special class with a traditional developmental program found that, after 2 years, no single program was superior to the other 2. (Author/DB)

The Utah Elementary Integration Model places students with severe disabilities in neighborhood schools that provide supported integration in age-appropriate grade-level homerooms, peer-referenced and community-referenced curriculum, a transdisciplinary team approach, and data-based training in natural settings. Twenty-seven participants achieved…

This study of 14 children (ages 3-5) with disabilities participating in the Classwide Social Skills Program found that the program increased subjects' positive play and levels of teacher reinforcement, but these increases did not generalize to 3-month or 6-month follow-up periods nor to another play session in the day. (Author/JDD)

Academic performance differences between 35 general education students, educated in an environment that included 5 students with mental handicaps or emotional disorder, and 108 general education students in noninclusive environments were compared. Results revealed no significant differences between the two groups in reading, language arts,…

Reviews the origins of the continuum of placement options for learning-disabled students and the recent calls to replace pull-out placements with full inclusion in general education, exploring the efficacy of full inclusion and the features of special education that must be preserved when reinventing services for students with learning…

Conjoint behavioural consultation (CBC) is an indirect form of service delivery that combines the resources of home and school to meet the academic, social and behavioural needs of children. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the utility of CBC as a service delivery model for supporting the inclusion of a student with Asperger syndrome in…

Social competency deficits are a core feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). During the past several decades, a number of social skill interventions for students with ASD have emerged. However, over the past five years, three converging issues have brought increased attention to the need for social competence programming: (1) increased ASD…

This study compared math and reading achievement in the fifth grades of two suburban elementary schools, one which utilized a traditional approach of pull-out special education classrooms and the other which utilized an inclusion program for special education services. The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) was used to measure the math…

Three examples of successful integration efforts in England are presented. Springfield Junior School in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, originally comprised three separate institutions--an ordinary junior school, a special unit for children with severe learning difficulties, and a special unit for children with moderate learning difficulties. The three…

This paper presents the testimony concerning special education reform and inclusion programs of the Director of Education and Employment Issues before a House of Representatives subcommittee. The speaker concludes that inclusion programs can work (as in districts in California, Kentucky, New York, and Vermont) but take tremendous effort and…

In this speech, the Secretary of Education identifies characteristics and principles common to all good schools including strong institutional and instructional leadership, a safe and orderly learning environment, teaching of the basics, high expectations, assessment of student progress, and accountability. Such principles are seen to apply…

A report is given on the development and progress of the Dean's Grant Project at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Included in the report is information on: (1) developments leading to the Dean's Grant Project; (2) plan for institutionalizing special education concepts in the teacher education program; (3) goals, objectives, and activities…