This newsletter issue emphasizes the ways in which adolescence and its associated stages provide windows of opportunity for programmatic intervention and prevention strategies. Articles in the newsletter include the following: (1) "Developing Support Programs for Families with Adolescents"; (2) "Communicating with Your…

This paper describes LEARNing Visions, a K-12 intervention program for at-risk youth in Jackson County, Tennessee, involving a partnership between the schools, local businesses, Tennessee Technological University, and Visions Five (a private company). Jackson County is characterized by an undereducated population, a high employment rate, and a low…

Although anabolic steroids are associated with short term behavior and long term health problems, few schools address this issue. Adolescents were surveyed to determine their general knowledge of anabolic steroids, attitudes related to fair play, and interest in limiting anabolic steroid use. Data from 322 boys and 331 girls in grades 7-12 were…

This report on the fourth year of Colorado's participation in Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act describes major accomplishments in preparing for full implementation of Part H in Year 5. Accomplishments in the following areas are discussed: state definition of developmental delay, central directory, timetables for serving…

This special edition explores the serious genetic disorder, Lesch-Nyhan Disease (LND), which is characterized by severe dystonia, spasticity, speech impairment, renal disease, varying degrees of cognitive deficit, and, especially, compulsive self-injury. The information provided is based on experience at the Matheny School and Hospital (New…

This paper examines issues related to the screening and assessment of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities or at risk for disabilities, from families of various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. An introductory section outlines issues of cultural and linguistic competence and provides definitions of key terms. Interviews are…

The goal of Project NETWORC was to develop a cost-effective model for providing preservice and inservice training in rural areas to individuals interested in working, or already working, with young children with special needs. In cooperation with the department of Instructional Media Services of the University of Nevada, Reno, the project…

The Assessment of Phonological Disabilities measure was administered to 39 normally developing children and 10 speech-delayed children who were Spanish speaking, of Puerto Rican descent, and ranging in age from 3 to 4. Data were analyzed by comparing phonological processes against the "standard referent" and the "Puerto Rican referent." The…

This paper examines literature on early intervention programs for disadvantaged and culturally diverse children from the 1960s to the present. The focus is on Project Head Start and its history, follow-through support programs in the primary grades, and current research on emergent literacy. The background of Project Head Start is provided, and…

The Children of Alcoholics Project (COAP) offers a preschool curriculum designed to increase the survival skills of children of alcoholics and help these children adjust to problems in an alcoholic home. The program goals address cognitive, social and emotional, and physical development. Children are selected for the program based on…

The paper describes application of an interactive model to providing services for young children with special needs being mainstreamed in community day care programs. In this model, the resource consultant coordinates service delivery in interactions with: (1) the child and family; (2) early childhood educators; and (3) resource specialists. The…

Outcomes of the Orchard Plan, an experiment designed to reorganize funding to support new models of instructional delivery, are described in this report. Basic elements of the program include an extended school calendar; a reorganization of categorical funding into intersession enrichment courses for at-risk students; a reduction in class size…

The purpose of this manual, the culmination of a graduate project begun at the University of Kansas, is to assist individuals with severe, multiple disabilities and their service providers in learning to utilize nonsymbolic behaviors in an expanded, facilitative manner that leads to more consistent and predictable communication functioning. The…

Begun in 1978 by a small group of Colombians who were affiliated with a private organization and who were interested in children's upbringing, education, and development, the Promesa Project began by organizing discussion groups among about 20 mothers and their children between 3 and 7 years of age in four remote villages on the shores of the…

This booklet reviews the literature while addressing over 100 questions that classroom teachers commonly ask concerning teaching students with behavioral disorders. Questions are grouped into three major categories. The first section, on effective assessment and evaluation practices, examines assessment for classification, diagnostic, and…