Suicide among American Indian adolescents has increased by almost 1000% over the past 20 years to become, as in Anglo society, the second most frequent cause of death in the 10 to 20 year old age group. The two major causes of adolescent suicide are acute stress and chronic depression. Environmental factors contributing to American Indian suicides…

The manual presents intervention strategies designed by Project MEDIA (Middle and Elementary Direct Instruction Alternatives) to aid the transition of both nonhandicapped and mainstreamed handicapped students from elementary (K-5) to middle (6-8) school. The manual is divided into six sections with topics of specific problem areas alphabetized…

As mandated by Illinois Public Act 84-1291, this report identifies the service needs of persons with autism, recommends service models, and offers a plan of action to ensure delivery of appropriate services within resources available. Three primary themes are emphasized: a need for intervention at the earliest point in time for persons with…

Prereferral intervention is designed to reduce referrals for special education placement, by modifying teacher instruction or management of difficult-to-teach (DTT) pupils prior to formal referral. A 3-year project is described in which Mainstream Assistance Teams offer consultation services to teachers in elementary and middle schools. The…

This paper argues that current practices in total communication classrooms have basically assigned the responsibility of communication to hearing-impaired students who must adapt to the variation in communication behaviors displayed by each of their teachers. The paper advocates use of a model communication and language policy designed to…

Ninety-two learning-disabled children, aged 5-13, participated in an evaluation of the efficacy of a television-based social problem-solving curriculum. The 52 children in the curriculum group viewed 10 episodes from the "Inside/Out" series and participated in teacher-led discussions. The episodes dealt with expressing feelings, making…

Findings are presented from a project which aimed to estimate the prevalence of developmental disabilities among Navajo children, aged 0-5 years, living in the Navajo Nation; determine what services they and their families require; and recommend policy and practice to assure that needed services are received. Section I provides a description of…

These conference proceedings deal with an interdisciplinary approach to reducing handicapping conditions and ensuring integration of and equal participation by people with disabilities in all aspects of community life. Papers from plenary sessions cover such topics as psychological and social aspects of rehabilitation, research methodology in…

This study investigated possible warning signs in students predicting future trouble with school suspensions. A year-long study of the school histories of 219 secondary students suspended numerous times from the Montgomery County Public Schools examined these students' early school experiences and behavior. Only two percent of students in grades…

The New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities initiated a project to produce a description of existing state and local programs and models of service delivery for early intervention services for children aged 0-5. A survey of 72 public and private service providers in 12 New York counties determined that 11,185…

This paper provides a brief review of the issues regarding families in early intervention programs for handicapped children and proposes the assessment of family needs as a first step in designing family-focused interventions. While traditional approaches to early intervention tend to be exclusively child-focused, professionals are encouraged to…

California's K-6 Early Intervention Project was established in 1986 under the authority of California Assembly Bill 1535, Pilot Project on Hyperactivity, to provide a system of early identification and assistance to children in kindergarten through grade 6 whose behavior problems interfere with learning. This report contains evaluation findings…

The program review process in Kansas Regent's institutions was studied, based on Guba's three policy types: policy-in-intention (statements about policy); policy-in-implementation (behaviors/activities found in the process of implementing policy); and policy-in-experience (constructions/perceptions of individuals as they experienced the policy…

Adolescent substance abuse is a leading problem in schools today. If prevention efforts by schools are to be effective, needs assessment and evaluation must be integral parts of the process. A comprehensive needs assessment of school substance abuse prevention programs in the western United States was conducted to: (1) describe the degree and…

Thirteen papers were selected from presentations made at a 1985 multidisciplinary conference on programing for adolescents with behavior disorders. The following papers are included: "Adolescent Needs and Behavior in the Schools: Current and Historical Perspectives" (S. Braaten); "Programs for Adolescents: What Works and Why?" (J. Lipsitz);…