Asserts that managing mental health and substance abuse utilization in a complex network health maintenance organization (HMO) can be accomplished through comprehensive approach. Describes prescreening of admissions and preferred provider contracts of one HMO's managed care system. Explains savings resulting from averting unnecessary admissions.…

School-based occupational therapists (216 of 321 surveyed) indicated that they spent 47% of time providing pull-out services and 53% in class or consulting with teachers. They disagreed that children with disabilities are best served when pulled out of class and believed it best to combine direct, pull-out services with classroom-integrated…

Flexible service dollars can help in tailoring services to meet the unique needs of rural children with serious emotional disturbance and their families. This paper discusses terminology, programmatic components, and uses of flexible service dollars in North Idaho and upstate New York, to highlight such family needs as economic supports,…

This introduction to several articles on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) notes the confusion in terminology and the emphasis in the articles on use of a collaborative treatment approach, recommendations for practitioners, and service delivery models. (DB)

This article suggests that the current philosophy of treating everyone the same (i.e., community placement at any cost for all individuals with mental retardation) is leading to taxpayer revolts and does not necessarily produce effective services for the individuals involved. Residential facilities can provide individualized services for some…

A study to determine the behavior of business education teachers relative to their adoption of the microcomputer as a tool for delivering instruction received 203 responses from a sample of 400 teachers. The majority favor the use of microcomputers and use them for delivering instruction. (JOW)

Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools serves its gifted students through full-time, pull-out, and off-campus programs. This paper describes early programs made possible through state aid; the population's current ethnic mix; types of full-time programs (regional magnet centers, academic centers, and the international baccalaureate program); and plans…

This summary of a seminar meeting on economics issues and the "blindness system" addresses the economics of four service delivery models (charity, medical, public provider, and business models) and points to consider in selecting a model (professional specialization, integration, and client roles). A chart compares service delivery principles…

This summary of a seminar meeting on organization of the field of visually impaired rehabilitation addresses: restructuring of medical and rehabilitation services, rival accrediting agencies, effect of service provider mergers, problems in providing effective services, and possible solutions. (DB)

Investigated treatment outcome differences based on timing of counselor contact in the use of computer information delivery system. Findings from 48 adult clients revealed significant differences between scores for postintervention counseling and control groups on Career Decision Scale and significant differences between postintervention and…

Describes a program developed by the Area University Affiliated Health Education Center for Developmental Disabilities at the Ohio State University to (1) develop state-of-the-art materials on prevention for adults and teens and (2) establish an ongoing statewide mechanism for education in the prenatal prevention of developmental disabilities.…

A survey of federal, provincial, and tribally controlled schools serving 53 Native communities in northwestern Ontario examined curriculum source, inclusion of Native cultural component in curriculum, staff employment benefits, staff supervision, and special education services. The three systems, though all providing services, differed…

Title VII-Part B of the Rehabilitation Act of 1978 created federally funded independent living centers (ILCs), but funding shortages left many rural areas unserved. A survey found 76 ILCs in 24 states that did not receive Part-B funds. Most were supported solely by state and local funds. (SV)

Survey results from 72 (of 127) trainers and 128 (of 222) business teacher educators showed that trainers perceived 12 of 14 training methods effective (lecture and role playing were not). Teacher educators found 10 of 14 effective, but only lecture was used frequently. Workplace training methods most often were individualized or one-on-one…

An understanding of the role played by specific centers of the brain will help special education instructors develop appropriate individualized instructional programs for the learning disabled. Neurobiological learning makes it clear that teaching the learning disabled should be based on the principles of learning strategies instruction,…