Reported was a study of the effectiveness of a 40 week reading program using the Initial Teaching Alphabet with 10 male students (8 to 12 years of age) who exhibited auditory perceptual disturbances. (GW)

To assess the relative effectiveness of computerized over conventional remedial methods with handicapped learners, 205 learning disabled elementary school children were assigned to a mathematics computer assisted instructional (CAI) or spelling CAI treatment or a conventional instruction control group. Results indicated that gains for the three…

The study reports the findings of a meta-analysis, the application of statistical methods of data synthesis from individual studies, reviewing 180 studies assessing the efficacy of perceptual motor training. Perceptual motor training was not found to be an effective intervention technique for improving academic, cognitive, or perceptual motor…

A peer training model in which teachers are trained to plan and provide inservice education is suggested as one approach to meeting the needs of teachers working with exceptional students. Project TEDDIE (Training Educators to Design, Develop, and Deliver Inservice Education) involved teams of special and vocational educators in Kansas. (CL)

The Special Friends Program at Kainalu Elementary and Kailua Intermediate Schools uses a slide show to introduce children in regular education to their severely handicapped peers, then structures systematic interactions between the two groups. This interview with the program's founder, Chris Kube, discusses the programs' philosophy, development,…

The program was developed to minimize classroom disruptions which often occur when a behavior problem student (9 to 13 years old) from a special education homeroom is placed in the mainstream. The program also was designed to encourage on task performance and work completion both in the homeroom and mainstream settings through reinforcement for…

A significant proportion of the 45 Ss made language age gains of more than six months on subtests of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA) and the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude (DTLA) and on the Carrow Elicited Language Inventory. (Author/SB)

Present federal methods of monitoring the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) only verify compliance with the law. They do not evaluate the law's effectiveness in improving disabled children's functional abilities. A number of educational parameters and outcomes can be used to measure PL 94-142's efficacy. (RW)

Sections address service delivery, parent/family participation, staffing roles, training, and product development. Evidence of effectiveness of early intervention programs and information on the cost of providing services is presented. Journal availability; see EC 133 846. (Author/SB)

The study examined the effectiveness of the Neurological Impress Method--NIM (in which reading skills are taught by having student and teacher read aloud in unison) for 44 learning disabled third, fourth, and fifth graders. (SBH)

Results of a study using Suggestive Accelerative Learning and Teaching (SALT) with learning disabled ninth grade students with difficulty in math and reading are presented. (PHR)

The increased learning rates made by 62 learning disabled elementary students during part time placement in resource rooms were not maintained at the same level after a year of full time attendance in regular classrooms. (CL)

Effectiveness of the MECCA program (Make Every Child Capable of Achieving--in which a learning disabilities specialist collaborates with a classroom teacher using a task analysis approach) was examined with 14 kindergarten age children in four MECCA classes, 17 children in four referral classes, and 37 controls. (SBH)

Contends that Head Start, because of its wide spectrum of services, is a viable alternative educational program for serving handicapped preschoolers. (FL)

Identifies four treatment techniques that may be applied when problem behavior is maintained by negative reinforcement: (1) functional communication training; (2) behavioral momentum; (3) differential reinforcement or an alternative escape behavior; and (4) errorless learning. Each of the techniques is defined, and applications and guidelines for…