This article describes the communication characteristics and needs of adults with severe mental retardation and discusses a transactional approach to intervention for adults who do not communicate symbolically in any mode. The approach promotes communication skill development by considering communicative acts as critical antecedent and consequent…

All students benefit from physical education, but equipment used in mainstream programs often is not appropriate for students with special needs. Equipment adaptation is necessary to improve students' opportunities for successful participation in class. The article describes how to create and finance adapted equipment and offers a resource list.…

Parents of 50 children (ages 5-12) with mental retardation reviewed hypothetical need situations associated with their child's retardation and rated the likelihood that they would help themselves or seek external help. Mothers' help-seeking behavior seemed to be affected by ego considerations whereas fathers' help-seeking behavior was…

The article addresses special problems of aging in persons with mental disabilities, including needs of persons living out their lives in institutions, normalized services for community residents, early preparation for aging, and appropriate residential placement. (DB)

This article examines the role of athletic coaches and notes their unique backgrounds and needs that set them apart from other college faculty. Alternative definitions of the coach's role include offering tenure to coaches, treating the coach like an ordinary contractual employee, and fashioning special nonsalary benefits. (Author/DB)

Surveyed 244 Michigan agencies providing geriatric information and referral (I&R) to determine service availability, families' needs, and problems providing I&R for persons with dementia and their families. Home-delivered meals, nursing, and social work assessments were considered most available. Medical assessment was considered "very available"…

Articles in this special issue explore the place of special education in the context of liberal democracy, describing why special education was created, what it was intended to do, and where it is headed. (SLD)

Describes "housecalls," a program at Virginia Tech that provides personal technical assistance to faculty, and shows how the program promotes innovation in instructional technology within a hierarchy of faculty technical and instructional support needs. Addresses innovation theory and demonstrates the presence of eight conditions that…

Relates personal experiences to the challenges of the inclusive classroom. Details recommendations for inclusive classrooms, including the following: value each child's uniqueness; individualize expectations and goals; adapt the classroom environment to support children's needs; tailor staff responsibilities to support children's needs; and…

Reviews and reflects on Hong Kong youth during the past four decades, specifically about their needs and deviant behaviors. Argues that being a youth is not a static and homogeneous stage for all young people. Addresses the implications for education. (CMK)

This article presents findings from a survey mailed to caseworkers, who answered questions about special needs, independent living skills, educational attainment, and services for 416 randomly selected foster youth in Illinois. A third of the adolescents had a mental health disorder, developmental disability, or other special need that their…

In this paper, self-control strategies are conceptualized as existing on two intersecting continuums of more or less individual control and increasing complexity depending on individual need. Behavioral self-control strategies for young children require external supports to assist children in learning the skills necessary to practice and implement…

Organizations value the business impact and benefits that accompany e-learning, such as workforce effectiveness, reduced training costs, and improved workforce retention (Taylor, 2001). However, although justifying the value of evaluation is clear, "e-learning evaluations often do not receive the priority that they deserve" (Tanquist, 2000, p. 1).…

Purpose: Getting dressed is an activity that is of particular difficulty for many persons with dementia, given the need for hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and overall planning skills. Despite several studies concerning interventions to improve dressing behavior, very little is known about the dressing process as it is currently…

This article presents an interview with Daniel W. Sutherland, Officer for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, Department of Homeland Security, to discuss some of the Department's future goals related to emergency preparedness for people with special needs and to find out how citizens can help in that quest. This article also focuses on topics such as:…