This text is intended to introduce undergraduate or graduate general or special education majors to student characteristics and teaching strategies with students who have mild disabilities (mild mental retardation, behavior disorders, and learning disabilities). Part 1 addresses the characteristics of students with mild disabilities. Chapter 1…

This report describes the Eclipse program, which was developed for middle school students with school-behavior problems. The program combines group counseling and judo training, a non-violent sport that promotes social, psychological, and physical development. During the program, groups of approximately 15-20 students participate for 1 hour each…

This booklet describes a framework for helping preservice teachers learn and implement behavioral intervention strategies in inclusive classrooms. A partnership of Human Services Consultants and Bloomsburg University taught 19 preservice early childhood and elementary teachers behavioral intervention strategies for mainstreamed students with…

Increasingly, teachers are expressing their growing concern about problem behaviors many children display in their classrooms. This technical guide offers Head Start staff a process for reflecting on their own practice, assessing difficult situations, and designing interventions for problem behaviors through joint problem solving. The guide is…

This paper discusses the results of a study that investigated the validity and reliability of the Ecology Rating Scale (ERS). The ERS is a brief, multi-dimensional level-of-functioning instrument that can be rated by parents or clinicians. The ERS is comprised of seven domains of youth functioning: family, school, emotional, legal/justice,…

Based on international research and practice, this text is designed to enable elementary and secondary practitioners to identify able pupils with special needs such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyspraxia, dyslexia, and Down syndrome, and then make provisions for them within the mainstream school. Following an introduction that…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that reviewed activities to ensure quality of care for adolescents receiving mental health services in the School Mental Health Program (SMHP), based in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. For this program a team of clinicians, as well as trainees in each…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study designed to assess teacher attitudes about an interdisciplinary approach to the inclusion of students with behavior disorders. The interdisciplinary approach involved four components: responsible inclusion, language intervention strategies, self-management programs, and pragmatic skills for classroom…

This paper is designed to help educators understand research findings on promising interventions for students with a history of behavior problems. It reviews programs for preventing such problems from recurring among children and adolescents with chronic antisocial behavior. Findings from the review indicate: (1) assessment of the student's…

The White House Conference of 1930, recognizing the importance of greater coordination of forces related to the education of exceptional children, urged that the United States Office of Education perform the services of a coordinating agency in this respect. The Office of Education, while ready to accept the responsibility, has been hampered by…

This article examines federal, state, and local initiatives that have influenced child welfare policy and practice on a national scale, with particular emphasis on those policies that offer opportunities for better coordination of services between mental health and child welfare agencies. The special circumstances of child welfare clients are…

This article discusses the importance of child advocacy and describes major challenges to advocates for students with emotional and behavioral disorders in three areas: legislative and judicial, educational, and media. Suggestions are offered for effective advocacy in each area. A list of resources for advocacy is also provided. (Contains…

Four challenges in the emotional/behavioral disorders field are discussed: implementation of empirically validated screening procedures; better understanding of the curriculum and instruction currently used to educate students with emotional disturbances; investigation of the relationship between underachievement and externalizing behaviors; and…

Results are reported for a three-year research and development project concerning the knowledge and skills that middle school teachers need to educate students with emotional and behavioral disorders in inclusive settings. Self-assessments of 26 teachers were analyzed in relation to ratings of behaviors of 73 students. Teachers reported only…

This examination of the needs of families with students who have emotional/behavioral disorders proposes that schools provide services in the areas of (1) community programs; (2) information services; (3) advocacy and resource use; (4) home and community parent/family training programs; and (5) parent/family support and counseling. (DB)