Examines the within-group differences that exist among children with some degree of hearing loss. Argues that considering these differences will assist service providers in improving services. Provides a rationale for viewing service options for these children and their families as parts of a whole. Discusses the implications of this perspective…

This article makes the case that it no longer makes sense to delay the process of identifying children with disabilities until after kindergarten. The purposes, expectations, and day-to-day realities of kindergarten have changed, and children who eventually will be identified for special education are put at a considerable disadvantage when their…

Background: Mild mental retardation is an enduring and impairing condition. Its prevalence has varied widely across different studies from 0.5 to over 8%, with higher rates in completely ascertained samples. The current study estimates the prevalence of low IQ in the mental retardation range (intellectual disability) in a population sample and…

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) assumes a biopsychosocial basis for disability and provides a framework for understanding how environmental factors contribute to the experience of disability. To determine the utility of prevalent disability assessment instruments, the authors examined the extent to…

Pediatricians' and teachers' knowledge of physical, cognitive, and behavioral features associated with three genetic syndromes were assessed and the effectiveness of information sources about these syndromes evaluated. The surveyed sample included 53 pediatricians and 69 teachers from Northern and Central California. Respondents demonstrated…

Children with emotional and behavioural disorders (EBD) vary in many respects. In school, specific conditions have to be fulfilled in order to deal adequately with EBD. This study addresses the question how mainstream primary schools design different instructional situations to support pupils with EBD in practice, and how this design could be…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) includes transportation within its definition of "related services." This means that students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) have the right to receive special transportation services if it is needed. Transportation and assistance may be provided to a child whose…

Purpose: The aims of this study were threefold: to report teachers' estimates of the prevalence of speech disorders (specifically, stuttering, voice, and speech-sound disorders); to consider correspondence between the prevalence of speech disorders and gender, grade level, and socioeconomic status; and to describe the level of support provided to…

This information fact sheet on screening newborns to prevent mental retardation defines newborn screening and outlines how screening is performed. It discusses the six most common disorders resulting in mental retardation for which states most commonly screen. These include phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism, galactosemia, maple syrup…

A number of critical issues concerning the assessment of children with intellectual disabilities, including definitional problems, psychometric factors, and practical difficulties, are raised in this article. It is suggested that school counsellors and psychologists should consider these issues when assessing children with probable or known…

State guidelines for 1981/82 and 1985/86 were compared to identify trends in definitions and methods used to diagnose learning disabilities (LD). The later guidelines tended to delineate specific achievement discrepancy criteria. However, major components of LD definitions were not altered and IQ cutoffs were not implemented. (Author/DB)

Analysis of questionnaires administered to 143 Head Start personnel supported the efficacy of educational programs for increasing identification and reporting by workers. Complex interactions between certain characteristics of the reporter (e.g., educational level) and prior training in maltreatment identification were revealed. Neglect appeared…

A 5-step procecdure was used to establish item bias on the Social Behavior Assessment Scale with Mexican-American children, (grades 1-3) as subjects. Results revealed that Mexican Americans are less likely to be given negative scores than are Anglos. Moreover, teachers appeared to regard problem behaviors of the two groups differently. (Author/CL)

Results of recategorizing the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised) subtest scores of 159 black learning disabled primary grade children into spatial, conceptual, and sequential scales as recommended by A. Bannatyne led to the conclusion that the diagnostic utility of the Bannatyne recategorization is questionable. (Author/DB)

Diagnostic procedures used to identify children (grades K-6) with learning disabilities in 14 school districts were studied and compared. Although some similarities existed between districts, uniformity was lacking in important areas such as test selection, extent of testing, and cutoff scores on intelligence and other tests. (Author/CL)