A survey of state agencies found that early intervention services to visually impaired children, aged birth-two and three-five years, were permissive or mandated in the 29 respondents' states or territories. All respondents used definitions of visual impairment similar to the federal definition, and all required a medical diagnosis. (JDD)

A model program for severely emotionally disturbed hearing-impaired adolescents evolved in Santa Cruz County (California). A private day school program integrated its activities with a group home; Individualized Education Programs were designed jointly with residential treatment plans; and residential and school staff maintained a behavioral…

A 1991 survey of 51 U.S. and Canadian dental schools and a 1993 survey of 43 schools investigated perceptions of the best ways to manage dental students' clinical experiences. Most schools used a comprehensive care system, suggesting a strong trend in this direction. (MSE)

Explores options for human service delivery and related organizational change in rural areas. Addresses the unique context and distinctive features of rural service delivery, urban service professionalism and fragmentation, and potential advantages of traditional integrated rural systems. Discusses eight models derived from combinations of three…

Approaches to early intervention services for rural families with young children with disabilities are considered, including service delivery models and strategies for interagency collaboration. Proposals concern increasing access to services in rural areas, personnel training and utilization, and developing an infrastructure through regional and…

Proposes a model for online hypermedia courseware that presents information in a controlled and predefined structure. Measures and evaluates the model's impact on design time and student study time. Finds positive improvements in delivery and dissemination of technical subject matters and provides a better understanding of required development…

Discusses guidelines for providing quality direct services to Head Start families. Suggests that nonjudgmental attitudes, empathy, instruction, reinforcement, shaping, removal of barriers, contracting referral, advocacy, and other helping skills permit effective direct services. Proposes FNA (family needs assessment) as a valuable tool with which…

Examines the potential of a flexible specialization model to provide effective social services integration in rural areas. Contrasts flexible specialization with craft and Fordist models of production, with implications for service integration. Identifies societal changes supporting the development of flexible specialization in rural areas.…

Compared 63 non-foster care adolescents with 42 placed in kinship care and 69 in non-relative foster family care in their readiness for independent living. Found no significant differences in perceptions of independent living skills and preparation for independent living. Foster care adolescents, however, were more likely to worry about their…

A collaborative service delivery model for provision of speech-language services is presented. The model uses children's literature and content material in a writing process approach to teaching oral and written language skills in the general classroom, and uses pull-out support for initial instruction of voice, fluency, and articulation skills.…

The perspectives of seven hearing parents on their use of sign communication with their deaf children were evaluated. All parents had chosen Signed English rather than American Sign Language (ASL). Parents' understanding of ASL varied greatly; they reported difficulty in developing personal and family fluency in Signed English; and they identified…

A survey of 150 elderly people with disabilities in Hong Kong found that a high proportion was living alone in the community with only minimal networks for emotional support. Effective measures to promote family care of disabled elderly people and approaches to integrating the formal and informal care sectors are discussed. (DB)

The Missouri Parents as Teachers project developed in response to a 1984 state mandate requiring parent education and serves about 85,000 families with children, ages birth through 4. Components include home visits, group meetings, and early childhood developmental screenings. Discussed are the project's historical perspective, project evaluation,…

Conceiving of agricultural labor as different from other work and assuming that agricultural workers differ from other workers obscure the real need for information about farmworkers. Improvement in farmworker health status in the long term can only result from informed policies based on solid research. (SLD)

Discusses the problem of drug-exposed infants from the perspective of a county attorney's office, focusing on a new Minnesota law that responds to the problem through early identification and provision of services. The approach calls for mandated reporting by medical providers and includes the possibility of civil commitment. (SLD)