This set of forms is part of Project STEPS (Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools). They are intended to assist communities develop and use a formalized process for assessing the current status of transition within their community and for interagency planning related to the development of a community-wide transition team. The…

This proceedings contains selected papers from the first International Adventure Therapy Conference. The papers reflect a wide range of ideas about what constitutes adventure therapy and how it should be conducted. Presenting an array of international perspectives, programs, and practices, the papers expand the current literature, which has come…

This document contains selected information consisting of text, data tables, and summaries related to two programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): (1) the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities, Part H (renamed Part C on July 1, 1998) of IDEA, which covers services to children from birth…

This brief paper offers suggestions for parents and teachers working together to develop meaningful communication skills in deaf multihandicapped children. An intervention program developed by Jan VanDijk is described. This program involves the use of environmental engineering to teach language concepts with materials such as a calendar box with…

Estimates suggest that 20 to 25% of U.S. students change schools each year, and this figure is higher in school districts with a relatively large immigrant population. The guidelines in this technical assistance packet provide strategic suggestions for welcoming newcomers to a school or district, something that has become an essential facet of…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of Project REALIGN, a three-year model inservice training project to expand the capacity of early childhood staff, administrators and families to work together toward improved education for all young children and maximizing the inclusion of young children with disabilities in the school…

In contrast to research models that allude to the deficiencies of children whose parents are characterized as at-risk, this literature review focuses on the potential achievements of these children. The review attempts to heighten awareness of the efforts of researchers to provide a theoretical basis for advancing programs that foster a positive…

As a student teacher who had just finished her teaching assignment at Old Dominion Middle School in central Virginia, the author was struck by differences in students' classroom and hallway behavior. Whereas students were calm and respectful inside classrooms, they pushed, cursed, and ran in hallways while teachers looked on. Wondering why…

This collection of papers presented at a 1996 conference on children's mental health focuses on program evaluation efforts within states and systems of care. Individual papers have the following titles and authors: (1) "An Overview of State Public Mental Health Programs for Children with a Serious Emotional Disturbance" (Pamela C. Roddy); (2) "A…

Drawing on research on techniques for scaffolding in speech therapy for victims of Alzheimer's Disease, some considerations in determining appropriate scaffolding in speech therapist-client interactions at four levels of interaction (initial, those involving early language activities, discourse interactions, and turn-taking) are discussed.…

Support for primary-age, at-risk children is examined in the context of renewed national interest in intervention programs for this population. This report describes alternative approaches to identifying characteristics of at-risk students and then presents a summary of states' definitions of "handicapped" or "disadvantaged."…

Current issues involved in the identification and assessment of Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) students being considered for special services are reviewed. Focus is on the characteristics of the at-risk LEP students, who are often placed in special education programs. A theoretical framework to guide research and practice in this field is…

Three early educational intervention programs designed to prevent mental retardation and to improve school readiness are profiled. The Abecedarian Project was begun as an experiment to test whether mental retardation, allegedly caused by inadequate environments, could be prevented by providing intensive preschool programs to children from birth to…

The effectiveness of students' evaluations of teaching effectiveness (SETs) as a means of enhancing university teaching was studied, with emphasis on the multidimensionality of SETs, an Australian version of the Students' Evaluations of Educational Quality instrument (the ASEEQ), and the 1986 feedback/consultation intervention of R. C. Wilson.…

This fact sheet on Down Syndrome is offered in both English and Spanish. First it provides a definition and description of this syndrome, noting its etiology in a chromosomal abnormality. Incidence figures are then given. Typical characteristics of people with Down Syndrome are listed. Commonly associated health-related problems are noted,…