This graduate-level textbook provides a framework for understanding giftedness, and considers the counseling process and strategies for counseling in the schools. Chapters include: "The Gifted Individual" (Linda Kreger Silverman); "The Quest for Meaning: Counseling Issues with Gifted Children and Adolescents" (Deirdre V. Lovecky); "A Developmental…

This practicum was designed to increase the quality of service in five day care centers in a metropolitan Florida county, as evidenced by increases in the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS) scores of early childhood teacher participants. A 10-week teacher education program for 5 early childhood teachers was developed around Marilyn…

This practicum was designed to address the problem of middle school students reacting to and handling conflict situations with violent behavior in an urban environment. These responses affected the well-being and safety of all middle school students at the school. The major goal was for middle school students to increase their awareness of…

This year-long study explored toddler separation distress behaviors in a developmentally appropriate classroom that used a gradual entry process, including a home visit. Four toddlers were selected for study: two had overt separation distress behaviors at the beginning of the year, and two did not exhibit overt distress. The children were…

Communication strategies needed for the specific responsibilities of college and university department heads are presented. Each chapter first describes communication strategies useful in handling an administrative task, and then uses real-life case studies to demonstrate their applications in typical situations. Readers are guided through a…

This guide offers strategies for working with students with autism in the areas of academic instruction, organization and time management, and social skills. The importance of considering the autistic student's use of language and thinking style is stressed. Chapter 1, "Who Are Higher Functioning Young Adults with Autism?" (Ann Fullerton),…

A program for improving student social skills was implemented in three classrooms of lower-class kindergarten and second grade students at two schools in order to reduce the number of behavior problems. Student behavior is a nationwide educational concern, and the problem of inappropriate behavior at the schools was documented by teacher…

The four articles in this monograph present issues in the application of technology to special education from an international perspective. In the first chapter, "Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems--Computer Applications for Individuals with Disabilities: An International Perspective," Richard Cardinali and George McMurdo…

This study examined kindergarten teachers' perceptions regarding the change in schedule from an everyday, half-day program to an alternating day, full-day program. Subjects included 37 female teachers in a small midwestern city who had almost completed the first year of the changed schedule. Results from a mail survey revealed teacher concerns,…

A qualitative case study methodology was used to examine the process of including three students with autism, intellectual impairments, and behavioral challenges in age-appropriate typical classrooms and home schools. Data were obtained over a 9-month period from field notes of a participant researcher and three paraeducators, structured…

Teaching prosocial behavioral alternatives at an early age may enhance a child's personal development and help prevent more serious difficulties in later childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. This book provides classroom teachers and others working with young children with a guiding strategy and concrete techniques for instruction in…

The objective of this paper is two-fold. First, to address continued criticism of a general lack of attention to diverse aspects of family development due to continued reliance on traditional ways of assessing and conceptualizing family interaction. Second, to address recent recommendations to educate professionals who are capable of promoting…

This scope and sequenced functional curriculum is designed for use in schools and adult training environments with individuals who have moderate disabilities. The first chapter explains the curriculum's origins in the original Life Centered Career Education Curriculum and the research project which determined the need for and modifications…

This monograph presents 11 papers which bring together information to help administrators, faculty, and staff in institutions of higher education better understand the needs of college freshmen and other new students with disabilities, including ways to meet those needs and the legal requirements which affect decision-making about service…

"Scripts" are ways of describing the knowledge a person must have in order to understand the appropriate response in a given situation. In this document, literature on the ways in which children acquire scripts for social behavior through interaction with others is reviewed, and some departures from script theory are discussed. It is…