This practicum report describes the design and implementation of a program in Puerto Rico to facilitate the transition process for seven deaf preschoolers from a restrictive hospital environment to a mainstreamed regular school setting. The program stresses parental involvement by helping parents to accept their roles, not only as primary…

The paper traces the establishment and outcomes of a special education program development unit as part of the West Virginia Department of Education. It is explained that the office used a process/product planning approach with information on mission, role/function, allocation of function and resources, and multiple matrix analysis planning. Based…

Physical impediments are not the only possible obstacles for handicapped students; they also must deal with the attitudes of their fellow students. To assess the attitudes of college students toward physically disabled students, 224 undergraduates completed the Situational Attitude Scale-Handicapped (SAS-H). Results showed that, in general,…

The social outcomes of two mainstreaming programs were compared for 24 first through third grade handicapped children. Ss were randomly assigned to one of two placements: a traditional resource room or an adaptive educational program. Placement differed in the amount of time students spent in an integrated setting, the instructional practices, and…

In an examination of the notion of person-environment fit as it applies to the socioempathy-social status for mildly handicapped children in mainstreamed and special class settings, 38 mildly learning handicapped (LH) and 234 nonhandicapped students were administered social status instruments. Results revealed that LH Ss in special placements were…

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…

Disabled students slotted into regular classrooms may exhibit difficulties in auditory perception, sound blending, auditory closure, visual perception, language usage, or a combination of the above. Certain techniques exist, however, that teachers may employ to aid these students. Among these techniques are success structuring and behavior…

The evaluation process within special education, as in general education, most often becomes one of data collection consisting of formal and informal tests given by the school psychologist and the classroom instructor. Influences of the complex environment on the educational process are often ignored. Evaluation factors include mainstreaming,…

The manual presents background and application information on providing an "inclusionary" approach to the education of young children. "Inclusionary" was expanded from nonsexist, multicultural perspectives to that of persons with disabilities. Project REED (Resources on Educational Equity for the Disabled) developed and…

This series of short articles discusses two separate educational policy issues: the federal role in education for the handicapped and tuition tax credits. Concerning the first issue, the document discusses the background of P.L. 94-142 and its first 5 years, concluding that, although accomplishments are impressive, there are still difficulties in…

The document contains 1981 proceedings from Project MAY (Mainstreaming Activities for Youth), a collaborative inservice training project involving 11 national agencies serving youth and invited resource organizations. Three project goals are listed--to develop cooperation and share hearings in meeting the needs of handicapped persons, to provide…

The Spanish translation contains a collection of arts strategies intended to stimulate, motivate, and teach basic skills to handicapped children. The lessons involve one or more of the basic art forms (movement, music, drama, and art) and are further divided into five levels of aesthetic development: awareness, imitation, self-initiation, skill…

The report examines New York State's delay in meeting the least restrictive environment (LRE) mandates of P.L. 94-142, the Education For All Handicapped Children Act. The authors suggest a reluctance on the part of New York's education officials to comply with this doctrine and subsequent misinterpretation of the law and efforts to maintain…

This final report discusses the Social Integration Project (SIP), designed to systematically integrate young handicapped children academically and socially into existing early education programs. Four goals were set forth: (1) placing handicapped children into local mainstream day care centers; (2) installing a comprehensive program and curriculum…

This issue brief addresses policy and administrative questions in preschool special education. Background information is provided on the history of early intervention and predictions for the future are made. Research is presented on early childhood special education effectiveness (longitudinal and shorter-term studies and third-party evaluations)…