Changes that could enhance the lives of individuals with mental retardation are considered, including understanding what it is like to be limited by a diagnosis rather than experiencing individual choice, rethinking roles of service providers, and changing regulations and funding mechanisms to promote individual support facilitation. (SW)

This study investigated the effectiveness of strategy instruction designed to foster the active participation of 11 high school students with disabilities in Individualized Education Program conferences. Results indicated that strategy-instructed students identified more goals and communicated more effectively during their conferences than did the…

This study aimed to increase the independent engagement of integrated elementary students with disabilities, by decreasing prompts from aides and using pictorial activity schedules to diminish dependence on adult support. A nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design, replicated across three aide-child pairs, revealed that the intervention resulted in…

Europe's educational systems' curricula are diversified. The paper analyzes the concepts of technology and curriculum, discusses implications for common core curricula, and relates the framework to teachers' and students' autonomy. Discussions of the European dimension in education, trends in western European development, and ingredients of a…

Japanese and U.S. mothers of three- to six-year-old children answered questionnaires about child-rearing practices. U.S. mothers expected their children to follow more rules than did Japanese mothers. Japanese mothers were more likely than U.S. mothers to use physical punishment when their children showed disrespect for authority. (BC)

Research findings on the status of adults with learning disabilities are reviewed and related to changing social and work environments. Findings show that learning disabilities persist into adulthood, that manifestations of learning disabilities in adulthood are different than in childhood, and that many adults with learning disabilities are not…

The development of a structured interview designed to assess leisure satisfaction in persons with mental retardation is described along with initial reliability, validity, and leisure satisfaction findings with 40 individuals with developmental disabilities. Also considered are the rationale for measuring leisure satisfaction based on quality of…

This discussion concludes that personal choice cannot be used to distinguish between students with serious emotional disturbances or social maladjustment, a distinction required by federal legislation. Literature supporting this conclusion is reviewed, focusing on conduct problems and disorders, choosing maladjusted behavior, choosing a serious…

Interviews with young adults (n=31) with intellectual disabilities living in either community or residential facilities in Australia found those living in an institution were more satisfied with their social life whereas those living in the community were more satisfied with their autonomy. Both groups were positive about their current placement.…

Considers Directive to Physician, Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare Decisions, and Medical Ethics Decision Form. Notes importance of process individuals go through in defining what quality of life means to them. Sees current struggle being individual articulation of one's wishes based on personal definition of quality of life set forth in…

This article discusses seven "megatrends" in rehabilitation services for people with disabilities. They include changes in the demography of disability, the empowerment of people with disabilities, the policy of integration, and the rising cost of health and social services. Also considered are changes in rehabilitation service delivery…

A theory is presented that postulates that people in all cultures use four relational models to generate most kinds of social interaction, evaluation, and affect. Ethnographic and field studies (n=19) have supported cultural variations on communal sharing; authority ranking; equality matching; and market pricing. (SLD)

Conceptions of parental authority and ratings of adolescent-parent conflict were assessed in 6th-, 8th-, and 10th-graders and their parents. Participants judged the legitimacy of parental authority and rated the frequency and intensity of conflict regarding 24 hypothetical issues. Adolescents and parents agreed that parents should retain authority…

The Piagetian conceptualization of autonomy as the ability to decide between right and wrong in the moral sense and between truth and falsehood in the intellectual sense is considered as the aim of education. The implications of the goal of autonomy are discussed for school psychologists. (SLD)

Six articles within a miniseries on children's rights and education are discussed, with emphasis on the necessity and opportunity to advance children's rights through education. The importance of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is clarified. Conclusions and recommendations summarize the school psychologist's role. (SLD)