Ninety-two teachers participating in co-teaching responded to a survey and 12 of these teachers were subsequently interviewed. Results indicated: (1) general education co-teachers were perceived as doing more than special education partners in the inclusive classroom and (2) co-teachers who had access to identified collaborative practices,…

To address the shortage of qualified early interventionists for young rural children with disabilities, the University of Alaska Fairbanks developed a Master's program that used distance education at remote practicum sites during fall and spring and on-campus instruction during the summer. The program has fostered university-rural community…

This study of 20 sixth- and seventh-grade students with learning disabilities receiving social studies instruction found that prelesson learning set activities (including interactive review of previous instruction, statements of lesson objectives and expectations, and discussion of the lesson's importance) resulted in significantly better…

This article describes development and psychometric properties of the Community Living Attitudes Scale, Mental Retardation, a 40-item measure based on the input of self-advocates and focused on contemporary community living philosophies. Tested with 742 individuals, the measure's factor structure was confirmed, and subscales of Empowerment,…

A California program permits noncertified teacher interns to serve as special education teachers while enrolled in a preparation program. Interns receive support services from both the university and school district. Three case studies involving intern teachers of students with mild disabilities illustrate the implementation of the program,…

Examination of the prevalence of substance use among low socioeconomic status elementary and middle school Mexican American students identified with (n=150) or without (n=150) learning disabilities found no difference in substance abuse rate between the two groups. Risk factors for LD students included susceptibility to peer influence and…

Potential individual variations in the effectiveness of facilitated communication (FC) were examined with 20 students with autism and related disorders. Use of multiple methods (including auditory or visual input, simple point responses, and typing) provided no clear support for validity of FC over students' independent communication. Increased…

Federal law provides for special educational services for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and for all children with disabilities. Questions arise regarding special educational services for parochial school children. A brief introduction to the two major federal programs for compensatory and special education is followed by an analysis of…

Schools can reduce special-education and remedial instruction costs by helping students succeed in early grades. This article profiles several prevention and early intervention programs, including Success for All, Reading Recovery, Prevention of Learning Disabilities, the Carolina Abecedarian Project, Comer's School Development Program, and…

Two families were studied that had children placed in foster care due to abuse and neglect by parents with mental retardation. One mother easily learned necessary parenting skills. In the second case, incremental resumption of custody was made contingent on completion of relevant parenting tasks; when progress in task completion ceased, parental…

Comparison of two fourth-grade teachers who effected different patterns of achievement (either expected achievement or high achievement) among their students (including those with learning disabilities or low achieving) found important differences in terms of pacing and format of instruction, student involvement in the lessons, motivation,…

This paper reviews transmission of human immunodeficiency virus and stages of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS); AIDS symptoms in children; special complications for children with disabilities; and responsibilities of special educators, including, among others, inclusion in schools, interdisciplinary team management, providing a family…

Fifty-four special education student teachers were evaluated by university supervisors and cooperating teachers on eight variables, during the first and last weeks of their student teaching. Student teachers who had either participated in university-sponsored field-based experience or had obtained such experience independently received…

Twenty-nine elementary special education teachers each monitored 2 students with mild disabilities using curriculum-based measurement (CBM) for 16 weeks. Students whose teachers implemented CBM more accurately made significantly greater math gains than students whose teachers either implemented CBM less accurately or who did not use CBM. Adequacy…

Teachers with (n=135) and without (n=185) experience coteaching in elementary classrooms that included students with mild disabilities were surveyed. Special education teachers in inclusive settings held the most positive views of inclusion, with regular teachers in inclusive classrooms reporting similar views. Regular teachers in traditional…