Review of 48 studies concerning interventions designed to impact the reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities suggests that strong effect sizes are more likely when researchers compare experimental treatment to nontreatment, deliver treatment themselves rather than have classroom teachers deliver it, and assess treatment…

Fifty directors of special education in a midwest state were surveyed regarding the use of aversive procedures with students having emotional and/or behavioral disorders. The survey addressed school policies and uses of time out, manual and mechanical restraints, teacher training, corporal punishment, and rage therapy. Survey questions and answers…

This article presents an intervention framework in which speech-language pathologists and behavioral psychologists view the challenging behaviors of individuals with traumatic brain injury from a communication perspective and address these problems in a way that is positive, integrated, functional, collaborative, and environmental. (Author/JDD)

Analysis of the discrepancy between performance of 121 tenth-grade students in reading aloud from English and science texts resulted in a group of 33 students with general deficits and 6 students with content-specific deficits. Students in the content-specific group benefited more from study of the text than did students in the general deficit…

Compared outcomes for visually impaired children and their families in two early intervention programs: a weekly, home-based program treating children and a program of monthly meetings for parents. Found that the more expensive, weekly program had negligible effects on child and family functioning. (BCY)

Compared cost effectiveness of an in-hospital intervention approach for medically fragile infants and a traditional approach of postdischarge referrals. Found that the in-hospital approach resulted in five times as many hours of intervention services for infants and cost three times as much as the referral approach, with few differences in effects…

To address social problems in rural areas, it is important to combine the generalist model of social work, which stresses intervention at the individual level, with a sustainable social development model that directs intervention efforts toward social institutions and cultural practices. Curriculum implications for social work education are…

The Early Intervention Special Education Program at West Virginia University developed, implemented, and evaluated a distance education model using satellite broadcasts of coursework and supervised practicum experiences to train early interventionists. Program success suggests that emerging telecommunications technologies offer a feasible…

A national survey of 483 preschool personnel revealed that paraprofessionals were hired in high proportions across all program types and more frequently in mainstreamed than nonmainstreamed programs. The lowest levels of paraprofessional employment occurred for public school kindergartens. Nearly three-fourths of the mainstreamed programs did not…

This review examines the variety of approaches taken to meeting the needs of young children (and their families) with disabilities in the South Pacific. The importance of diverse cultural patterns and problems of isolated communities are noted, as is the need to extend services until the entire population is served and ensure sustained services.…

This article reviews the legal issues raised when parents request that early intervention professionals implement Do Not Resuscitate orders for their young children with special health care needs. The article explores divergent viewpoints, recommends administrative procedures, and calls for open discussion of the issues and development of clear…

This article relates experiences and insights gained by a nurse educator directing the University of Utah College of Nursing's Utah Early Intervention Personnel Preparation project, a graduate-level interdisciplinary program to prepare early intervention specialists. Recommendations are offered for development of preservice or inservice…

The Vanderbilt School-Based Counseling Program in Nashville, Tennessee, increases access to mental health services for children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds via a primary care model delivering on-site services. Possible interventions include psychotherapy, parent skill training, behavioral and psychiatric consultation to staff…

The article reviews the literature regarding the psychopathology of truant behavior, the implications of truancy, and truancy interventions, suggesting that the effectiveness of truancy intervention could be increased by implementing a multimodal approach combining student, family, and school factors. (SM)

The best way to manage discipline problems in preschoolers with autism is to prevent the problems from occurring in the first place. The article examines the diagnosis, incidence, and prevalence of autism, discusses how to facilitate desired behavior, and offers a case study of a preschool student with autism. (SM)