The article stresses such concepts of prereferral intervention for at-risk students as intervention assistance and alternative intervention. Such approaches are founded on collaborative consultation between special and general educators. (Author/DB)

Diagnostic procedures commonly employed by school psychologists have been shown to be not only of limited validity for diagnostic purposes, but also of questionable relevance to intervention. Educational resources should be devoted to refining teacher-based systems of referral and diagnosis. Appropriate roles for the school psychologist are…

Analysis of data on 1,404 young children with hearing losses indicated that 80% of the children were identified via informal hearing-screening procedures, such as parental suspicion and referral. Auditory brainstem response technology provided the lowest mean identification age. The study concludes that formal screening programs are not locating…

This study describes the pattern of self-referrals for learning disability services in California's 103 community colleges; eligibility decisions; and students served according to age, ethnic, and gender groupings. Older students, Asians, and Filipinos were referred in lower numbers than their proportion in the general student population, while…

Students with monocular vision may be in need of special assistance and should be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team to determine whether the visual loss is affecting educational performance. This article discusses the student's eligibility for special services, difficulty in performing depth perception tasks, difficulties in specific classroom…

Examines a youth service bureau over a 20-year period, with a total client population of some 47,000 during this period. Findings indicate that this agency maintained its emphasis on diversion of juveniles from the traditional juvenile justice system not because of funding agency pressure, but because diversion is sound policy. (LKS)

Assessment of the impact of a collaborative inclusion model involving 670 students with disabilities in 26 schools revealed that student growth was similar in the inclusion and "pull-out" models, general and special education teachers felt quality of service had improved with inclusion, and inclusion was associated with lower rates of…

This article describes community-based developmental assessment (CDA) sites as one means for early identification of infants and toddlers with disabilities. At CDA sites, developmentalists assess referred children for developmental status and serve as liaison between the referring physician and the early intervention system. CDA sites are cost…

This survey found significant relationships between 54 general classroom teachers' expectations of student behavior and their judgment of pupils being at risk. Teachers who judged more adaptive behaviors as critical and more maladaptive behaviors as unacceptable judged the absence of more adaptive behaviors and presence of more maladaptive…

This article describes concepts underlying the idea of the "family as a system"; compares and contrasts four approaches to family therapy (those of Virginia Satir, Jay Haley, Murray Bowen, and Salvador Minuchin); and offers suggestions to teachers referring parents for family counseling. (DB)

This study of 439 pupils (grades 1-8) referred for special education evaluation found that both parents and teachers referred primarily for academic reasons. Parents referred higher functioning pupils than teachers referred. White parents were more likely than minority parents to refer their children, but teachers were more likely to refer…

Describes alcohol discipline program developed as forced referral option to combat abusive drinking and encourage responsible drinking on a college campus. Program used small-group format, leaders of varying backgrounds, and highly flexible subject content with 172 college students referred by campus proceedings officer. Evaluations showed that…

Studied 205 children who were subjects of child protection investigations in 1995 in England. Found that for the vast majority, welfare needs were ignored in the process of investigation. Identified the need to refocus investigations and suggested criteria to be used to provide a clearer focus on whether to investigate a referral. (Author/LPP)

Discusses both the background and the current state of treatment of children with disabilities in Russia. Describes the theoretical basis of the modern Russian approach to disability, the current population's needs, and the existing system for referral and rehabilitation. Identifies merging trends and new perspectives on the Russian treatment of…

An 8-year longitudinal study examined bullying and victimization of 580 Finnish youth at ages 8 and 16. Children completed self-reports and were also evaluated by parents and teachers. Findings indicated that both bullying and victimization at age 16 were associated with a wide range of psychological problems at ages 8 and 16 and with referral to…