This article reviews promises, practices, and provisos of alternative assessment as a basis for illustrating what is known about measuring progress of students with disabilities in statewide assessment programs. Nineteen data-based studies have been used to begin to document the effects of alternative assessment. However, it is concluded there are…

A 20-year follow-up study of 41 individuals with learning disabilities revealed attributes that differentiated the successful from the unsuccessful group. Some themes discussed include the critical influence of the learning disability across the entire lifespan, differences in participants' family functioning, and differences in participants'…

A survey of individuals who earned their doctorates between 1994-1998 (n=872) found only 36% of recipients were employed full-time in tenure-line positions. Factors influencing career choices included age at beginning doctoral study; career aspirations of beginning doctoral students; institutional financial support; and the ability to relocate…

Interviews with a learning disabled student, parent activist, teacher, tutor, and researcher reveal that learning disabilities are neurologically caused, not the result of low motivation or dysfunctional families. A variety of educational practices are explained that accommodate different learning styles of children with learning disabilities. It…

Thirty-six mothers of children with autism rated videotapes of behavior from young children later diagnosed with autism who were then assigned to a diagnostic or a no-diagnostic information group. No differences were found on overall ratings of intentionality. Mothers in the diagnostic information group rated stereotyped behavior as less…

The Kentucky Family Resource Centers developed under the Kentucky Educational Reform Act are described as examples of the school-linked service movement. The lessons learned in the development of the centers and policy issues that need to be addressed by both education and social services to assure continued development of this movement are…

The problem of skill generalization is addressed with a presentation of a transdisciplinary approach to curricular development and instructional presentation. The use of integrated programming to teach mathematics skills is discussed. Specific examples of integrated programming in mathematics and recommended procedures for developing integrated…

A graduate program component that assigned mentors to preservice special education teachers of students with severe disabilities is described. Characteristics of effective mentoring programs, the mentoring needs of preservice teachers of students with severe disabilities, and the mentorship program components are discussed. An evaluation of the…

A study of three children with multiple disabilities (two in first grade and one in fourth grade) tested the effectiveness of an intervention designed to increase peer interaction. The intervention included providing information to classmates on the use of communication aids, utilization of media for social interactions, and facilitation of social…

A survey of personnel representing mental health/mental retardation/developmental disabilities agencies in 50 states investigated the self-advocacy needs of clients, training in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and impact of the ADA. Results indicated that clients needed training in advocacy-related skills and that the ADA had a minimal…

Two children (ages seven and eight) with autism and moderate mental retardation, who engaged in stereotypic behavior, were studied to investigate the effects of social interaction with peers. Results found that when peers made social initiations and the children engaged in social interaction, collateral decreases occurred in their stereotypic…

A study was conducted of 201 adults with Down's syndrome to investigate the differential causes of decline in adaptive behavior. Results indicated that aging, dementia, and severity of mental retardation were significant factors, while absence of a medical illness predicted a higher level of adaptive behavior. (CR)

Reflects on research that showed that, as reading ability of students without disabilities increased in schools engaged in "effective schools" reforms, the reading ability of students with disabilities decreased. Concerns are raised that resources previously devoted to special education programs may serve to infuse general school…

Expectations for family involvement and professional behavior are different when working with families of children who use adaptive technology than they are with families of other children with special needs. The article addresses some of the differences, describing family and professional roles in assessment, interpersonal communication,…

A study of six teacher education programs examined the preservice experiences of 70 novice general education teachers to determine conditions that may inhibit or facilitate their progress toward differentiation for academically diverse learners. Results found that their training in the nature and needs of exceptional learners was scant. (Author/CR)