The peer interactions and cognitive levels of play of mildly developmentally delayed preschool children were compared as they participated in mainstreamed and specialized settings. They engaged in substantially higher rates of peer-related social behaviors and constructive play when mainstreamed. Factors affecting early childhood mainstreaming…

The article presents guidelines for teaching self-management strategies to improve mildly handicapped elementary students' independent work habits. Applying the skills of self-recording, self-evaluation, and self-reinforcement to math seatwork involves providing a rationale, modeling the strategy, and providing practice with feedback. Field test…

The article examines recent literature on the promised benefits of microcomputer application in teaching mildly handicapped students, and analyzes the extent to which research has revealed positive results in eight areas of effective instructional practice (e.g., motivation, self-concept, direct instruction, drill and practice, and writing…

The author considers the advantages and problems of labeling and proposes and discusses a 2-year special education contract. (Author)

The Massachusetts law which was a model for PL 94-142 has not served as intended. About half the decisions under the law result in a handicapped child being placed in a more restrictive situation. (Author/GC)

This study used the Assessment Standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics to evaluate the appropriateness and adequacy of selected standardized tests of mathematics achievement as they pertain to students with disabilities. Problems with content validity included inadequate representation of content domains, inappropriate…

A case history of a middle school's implementation of an integrated collaborative program for students with mild disabilities is presented as a framework for discussing the realities of inclusion. The authors observed a mathematics teacher during a nine-week unit on fractions. Suggested strategies from the literature on inclusion are considered in…

Discusses barriers to the development of inclusive school programs for secondary students with mild disabilities, and the implementation of an inclusive program in a 9th-grade general math class and an 11th-grade English class. Describes the development of partnerships between general and special education teachers. (CR)

Data from the Benefit-Cost Project at the University of Minnesota are analyzed, involving 239 mildly handicapped students who had exited school between 1977 and 1984. Few significant differences were found between graduates and non-graduates, though graduates were employed at a slightly higher rate. (DB)

Replication of a previous descriptive study indicated widespread use of corporal punishment with mildly handicapped students at every grade level in 371 schools. Among data-based findings were that, despite research on the effective use of punishment, corporal punishment was not typically delivered either immediately or consistently. (JW)

Mildly handicapped children share common educational needs and behavioral attributes. A general theory of learning outlines the characteristics of special learners and their implications for teaching. Components include expectancy of success or failure, selective attention, organization of input for storage, memory and recall, transfer,…

A survey of 100 regular classroom teachers found that teacher participation in the mainstreaming process, rather than availability of specific classroom modifications, was an important factor in their accepting elementary-age handicapped students into their classrooms. Of the modifications surveyed, most desired were reduced class size, support…

Specific suggestions are provided for modifying instructional materials and methods to meet the needs of students with mild handicaps. An organizational framework for making systematic decisions about instructional adaptation is presented, calling for comparing characteristics of the material or technique with the characteristics of the learner in…

Observation of the different instructional grouping arrangements used with mildly handicapped students revealed that the different arrangements produced diverse student responses, such as higher participation during individual instruction, compared with entire- and small-group instruction in mainstream or special education classes. (Author/CB)

Despite the growing momentum of the special education consultation movement, data indicate that in practice special educators spend very little time in a consulting role. The article examines the emergence of the consulting movement and barriers impeding the integration of consultation into the role of the special educator. (Author/JW)