Discusses the availability of special education programs in the Soviet Union. Identifies a shortage of instructional programs for children identified as physically or mentally impaired. Reports that approximately 800,000 Soviet children with development disabilities either receive no instruction or attend regular schools. Lists recommendations for…

This paper offers a longitudinal perspective on early intervention for children with disabilities. The quality of life which results from intervention is discussed, and features of intervention programs, such as early screening, a focus on the family, and classroom processes, are described. (BC)

An empirical model of community services spending in the states for mental retardation and developmental disabilities was tested using cumulative community services fiscal effort across 1977-88. Strength of consumer advocacy organizations coupled with states' historical orientations toward policies promoting racial equality were highly significant…

California's approach to developing programmatic and administrative models for the implementation of Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) in providing services to young handicapped children is discussed. The models focus on implementing recognized best practices as well as changing state policy and administrative structure to enhance…

Patrick O'Hearn School in Boston (Massachusetts) has been a model integration elementary school, integrating children with disabilities with regular education students since 1989. Elements of the program include 2 teachers in each classroom of 20 students, a visually impaired principal, a family center, and a planned home visitation program. (JB)

This review of 20 years of literature on sight word instruction for individuals with handicaps examines effectiveness data for procedures teaching word recognition and comprehension. Covered are "errorless procedures," prompt elimination, stimulus fading, time delay, easy to hard discrimination, and trial and error with feedback. Two tables…

A total of 155 educators in rural Kentucky participated in 4 inservice education sessions on learning disabilities and adaptive teaching, delivered via an interactive telecommunications network. Participants' reactions indicated that interactive television was an acceptable format for delivery of inservice education. (Author/JDD)

The application of learning styles to the teaching of reading to students with reading disabilities is critiqued in light of four factors: (1) inability to adequately assess learning styles; (2) failure to acknowledge the necessity of phonics instruction for beginning readers; (3) failure to consider the nature of reading disabilities; and (4)…

This paper describes the historical events that have influenced the evolution of field-based experiences in preparing special education teachers, describes the state of general practice, identifies the unresolved issues and promising trends, and outlines a future research agenda for analyzing preservice special education field-based experiences.…

This article describes LINK, a campus-based program of William Paterson College of New Jersey that bridges the interval between secondary school-leaving and full community participation for youth with mild disabilities. The paper describes student participants, undergraduate student mentors, the campus setting, program structure, student…

The Carolina Longitudinal Learning Disabilities Project identified 42 first- and second-grade students with learning disabilities (LD) and compared their development over 5 years with that of randomly selected peers. Different variables were predictive for the two groups. Teacher perceptions of intelligence, measured intelligence quotient, grade…

The main outcomes of the Prague (Czechoslovakia) longitudinal studies following over 1,000 children for almost 30 years are summarized. The children were either born from unwanted pregnancies, with alcoholic fathers, born out-of-wedlock, or in divorced families. A theory of psychological subdeprivation is offered and applied to children with…

Discusses four strategies teachers can use to encourage friendships among and to develop interpersonal skills of students when incorporating special needs children into regular classroom settings. Strategies involve: (1) establishing a classroom climate that encourages peer interaction; (2) encouraging deeper friendships with diverse children; (3)…

Suggests that most bioethical decisions concerning children born with catastrophic illnesses should be made by parents with input from physicians and health care workers and guidance from hospital infant ethics committees. The child protective service system should have the final authority to assure that the decisions of caregivers do not…

A process for readying students to change from special education to regular mathematics classrooms was implemented and validated in a study involving 42 students with mild disabilities in experimental and control groups. Preparation appeared to enhance achievement while in special education, but not in the regular class. (SLD)