Academic engaged time of six children with low-incidence disabilities in general education elementary classes was compared to six students without disabilities from the same classes and six students without disabilities from different, non-inclusive classes. No significant differences were found between academic responding and task management…

This study examined effects of an increased rate of opportunities to actively respond to academic requests on the classroom behavior of nine elementary school students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Results indicated the increased response opportunities resulted in increased correct responses and task engagement and decreased…

A study involving three men with autism examined the effects of allowing the men to make their own activity schedules by writing down the order of their tasks. Social praise was provided contingent on the participant's task completion. Client engagement was substantially higher than baseline for all three participants. (Contains references.)…

Antecedent assessment and assessment-based intervention for off-task behavior by an 11-year-old with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is reported. Assessment correlated off-task behavior with difficult academic tasks; intervention included functional communication training that focused on teaching the child to request assistance, as well…

This article, based upon a survey of 3000 teachers in 92 Illinois high schools, presents data on homework use by teachers. Data is provided on the amount, frequency, structure, purposes, and types of homework assigned to students. The level of school and parental support is also assessed. (IAH)

The vigilance of young adults with and without mild mental retardation (MR) was compared, with subjects performing two memory demanding, cognitively based tests. The vigilance decrement of MR adults declined more rapidly than did the vigilance of non-MR adults, due to an interaction between target detectability and response bias, and poor target…

Techniques to promote engagement in preschool children with special needs include rotating toys to maximize novelty, specifying engagement goals, and using individualized materials. Promoting engagement requires consideration of methods for determining engagement goals and ways to manage the logistics of the individualized program. (DB)

The article addresses ways to maximize the engagement of preschool children with special needs, through classroom modifications of the physical environment, the social environment, and instructional practices. The article encourages use of appropriate, sufficient, and accessible materials; a daily schedule with smooth transitions; and use of…

Investigates the effects of pleasant fragrances on student behavior in two eighth-grade science classrooms. Suggests that students in a scented environment required fewer redirections of their behavior from the teacher. (SR)

In this study, 16 sighted persons were given linearization tasks to complete with either another sighted person or a person with visual impairments. Pairs with participants with visual impairments talked significantly more than did sighted participants, had more problems with turn-taking, and needed more time to perform the tasks. (Contains…

A study finds that American students are engaged with lessons only 54 percent of the time, due to external preoccupations and uninspired instruction. The Heritage Foundation's "No Excuses" report makes misleading correlations between scores, phonics, and socioeconomic variables. Florida housing prices reflect letter grades assigned to…

Proposes a model for the transformation of academic equivalency in distance education, shifting from a unit of measurement that relies on time in the classroom to one that focuses on learner achievement. Explains how the Capabilities-Based Educational Equivalency (CBEE) model permits the comparison of student achievement in face-to-face and…

Two young adults with severe intellectual disabilities received either frequent or infrequent verbal prompts through a small earphone and pocket radio- and computer-controlled device as they completed daily living tasks. Data indicated that the frequent prompts condition fostered a higher level of on-task behavior and correct task responding.…

Task persistence by 31 children (ages 9-13) with and without mental retardation during two challenging motor tasks was investigated. A main effect was found for group affiliation: children without mental retardation attempted more trials over three sessions. Results indicated children with mental retardation were less persistent than typical…

Boredom is a common experience in healthy individuals and may be elevated in various neurological or psychiatric conditions. As yet, very little is known about the cognitive or neural bases of the subjective experience of boredom. We examined temporal perception and the temporal allocation of attention in healthy individuals reporting high- or…