Normal children (average age 11, n=25) and multiply disabled children (aged 9-15, n=8) were integrated in physical education classes, emphasizing work with disabled-normal dyads. Girls were more willing than boys to accept disabled children into their groups, but during individual activities, boys were less reticent about making physical contact.…

The article describes the history of educational programs for deaf children, predicts that deaf education will become more closely aligned with general education, notes shifts in student placement from residential to public mainstreamed settings, and describes several Gallaudet University programs involved in research, training, and outreach to…

Describes the Italian educational system from preschool to high school, along with the events leading up to the implementation of government-mandated total integration of handicapped children into the compulsory school system. Also describes details of this integration in three Verona area schools and discusses problems remaining to be solved.…

The Social Observation for Mainstreamed Environments (SOME) checklist evaluates handicapped preschool children's social skills and readiness for mainstreamed environments. Checklist items represent social behaviors important to successful preschool integration, such as initiating interactions appropriately, obeying class rules, and respecting…

Quantitative and qualitative analyses of communication modes used by 20 hearing-impaired students, their teachers, and their peers in mainstream junior and senior high school classrooms found that speech was used most often by all three groups. The hearing-impaired students demonstrated only minimal self-initiated interaction with normal-hearing…

The development of special education in Brazil is compared with England and the U.S., emphasizing the predominance of educable mentally retarded as a category and the preference for special class provision. The paper discusses various influencing factors, current government policy and service provision, and the future prospects for integration.…

Historical and contemporary special education in Japan and the United States are compared. Differences in societal acceptance of the handicapped, integration into regular education, educational finance, parental roles, governmental control, and staff training are highlighted. The authors' personal experiences demonstrating the influence of culture…

The research review of practices for limiting or avoiding referrals of students for special education services identified promising practices, including curricular and ecological adaptations that strengthen the mainstream, teacher development and administrative strategies, and early intervention strategies. Research, training, and policy…

Assessment of attitudes of parents of normal-hearing preschoolers "reverse-mainstreamed" into the Houston School for Deaf Children indicated satisfaction with the quality of the educational program (including such elements as individualized instruction and teacher student ratio) and with the interaction between their normal hearing child…

An obervational study of micro-educational environments and microcomputer use within these environments was conducted in special day classes, resource rooms, and mainstream classrooms (N=90). Mildly handicapped students in special education settings had less variety to their instructional experiences than did either handicapped or nonhandicapped…

Art therapy enhances the cognitive abilities of most students no matter how severely affected they may be. It also provides an emotional outlet and opportunity to gain self-worth. Schools would do well to seek out educator-therapists in the arts to serve the special needs of mainstreamed children. (LHW)

Mainstreaming has resulted in the placement of large numbers of mildly mentally retarded students (amongst whom minorities are overrepresented) in regular classrooms, with little planned effort to meet their special needs. These students are now exposed to minimum competency testing, with its potential for reestablishing racially segregated…

The demands that music classes make on students may be very complex, even at the elementary level, and educators responsible for mainstreaming educable mentally retarded or learning disabled students should examine music programs carefully before deciding that they are appropriate mainstreaming environments. Music teachers should be involved in…

Cites findings of a study of 242 students enrolled in the University of British Columbia teacher education programs which suggest students may not be adequately prepared for managing mainstreamed classrooms. Discusses implications for the Canadian educational policy of placing handicapped children in mainstreamed classrooms and for teacher…

Lists books dealing with the more prevalent handicaps of mainstreamed children: visual handicaps, speech handicaps, emotional disturbances, learning disabilities, auditory handicaps, intellectual impairments, and orthopedic handicaps. Recommends books for use from preschool to level three to expose children early and influence their attitudes…