Alternate Living, Incorporated (ALI) is a nonprofit agency supporting people with developmental disabilities in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, which includes Annapolis and some of the development south of Baltimore. In 1987, in partnership with the Human Services Institute (a private training and consulting organization in Maryland) and with a…

This document presents an instrument to help families of special needs children to identify their resources and their concerns, for use in development of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). The first part of the instrument includes a series of open-ended questions that provide families an opportunity to identify their concerns, in…

This report describes a 1988 site visit to Pride Industries, a private, nonprofit agency which operates an apartment program for individuals with developmental disabilities in Bismarck, North Dakota, through a contract with a regional office of North Dakota's Department of Developmental Disabilities. Pride Industries supports 34 people living in…

The philosophy of the open classroom is examined in detail by constructing two ideal typical classrooms to summarize both the open and closed classroom models, demonstrating how the open education approach responds favorably to three major areas of criticism for the present system: the classroom environment, teaching and learning, and…

The paper advocates the extension of the basic protections of "permanency planning" to all children and youth, including those with severe handicaps. It discusses the concept and process of permanency planning and notes its promise in improving the opportunities of all children and youth to grow up in a stable family environment. It…

Reports on individualized instruction in action in a California public high school. (PP)

Briefly reviews British science projects using independent learning, summarizes the Intermediate Science Curriculum Study (ISCS), and considers how far this project can be applied to British conditions. (JR)

Described a move from conventional to individual education and its meaning for the student at Notre Dame High School in Quincy, Illinois. (Author/RK)

A second article on the Multiple Alternatives Program (MAP) analyzes the effects of MAP on the attitudes and self-concept of the participants. The statistically significant findings indicate a more favorable attitude toward higher education among MAP participants than the control group but no differences in self-concept between the two groups. (AG)

Describes an introductory astronomy course at Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, in which the Keller Plan (personalized system of instruction) is used. Course evaluation results and typical student comments about this self-paced program are provided. (JR)

Discusses the educational benefits associated with self-paced learning, emphasizing that student motivation to learn is enhanced by this teaching method. (JR)

The Comprehensive Developmental Teams (CDT) program, a multidisciplinary approach to improving Head Start services to handicapped children is described. Reviewed are the team's tasks--to identify, screen, and assess the children's strengths and weaknesses in order to develop comprehensive programs of intervention, including provision of individual…

In order to comply with law, many states are developing special education programs. These programs often do not recognize the individuality of the child and fail to take into account that the school's inability to cope with a handicapped child is often a factor contributing to the learning disability. (HMD)