A study examined the opinions and practices of 28 speech-language pathologists specific to best practice communication-based service delivery for persons with severe disabilities. Pathologists reported to value highly and, to a lesser degree, to practice indicators of quality communication-based service delivery. Significant differences between…

Two boys, ages 7 and 9, with severe developmental disabilities were taught to use requests conditionally (when desired items were proximally distant) to obtain desired snack items. Results suggest that the conditioned discriminations were established quickly and both learners generalized their conditional discriminations to other contexts.…

This article discusses the inclusion of systematic preference assessment within transitional planning as a way to accurately interpret the preferences of students who use limited symbolic or nonsymbolic communication means. By using person-centered planning as a framework, it illustrates how to embed preference assessment within transitional…

Ninety-three parents and 102 adolescents were referred by juvenile court and treated for substance abuse and a co-morbid diagnosis of either oppositional defiant or conduct disorder using a parent education program over a six-week period. The goals of this study were to assess whether or not active parent involvement and the concurrent treatment…

The Point of Transition Service Integration Project was initiated in 1997 in California as a three-year model demonstration grant funded by the Department of Education. The goal of the project was to improve the level of cooperation and collaboration among public schools, the State Department of Rehabilitation, and the State Department of…

The purpose of this investigation was to extend research on parent and sibling perspectives concerning the transition of family members with significant cognitive disabilities to adult life. Eight parents and eight siblings of high school students with significant cognitive disabilities completed questionnaires addressing transition outcomes.…

As people see a powerful technology and philosophical value system originally developed to promote the self-determination and inclusion of individuals students with severe disabilities applied to and having impact on the broader school population, they wonder what the outcomes will be. In this article, the authors reflect on two issues: (1) the…

This training module is part of a series that provides a basic introduction to using assistive technology with young children (ages 2 to 7) who have severe disabilities in more than one area of development. This module focuses on using appropriate technologies for positioning children comfortably so they can participate in the activities of life,…

This document supplements a series of training modules that provides a basic introduction to using assistive technology with young children (ages 2 to 7) who have severe disabilities in more than one area of development. The supplement contains suggestions about hearing technologies and listening strategies that improve a child's opportunities to…

This final report describes a 3-year federally funded project designed to conduct an analysis of the factors that contribute to the performance of high intensity problem behaviors by students with severe disabilities. The project utilized a series of five integrated studies, which involved students with severe intellectual disabilities and the…

Play is a central facilitating element of early development. As a child plays, he or she practices spontaneously cognitive, emotional, and motor abilities. This research project, part of a larger project on early intervention with young disabled children, investigated the play of children with a motor handicap. The sample consisted of 61 disabled…

This report describes the development of a community-based service for the implementation of augmentative and alternative communication strategies with regard to children with severe disabilities in South Africa. The intervention process was developed by the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication of the University of Pretoria. The…

This manual was developed in conjunction with the implementation of the Colorado Effective Education Model, a systems change project designed to develop best educational practices for students with severe disabilities in inclusive settings. The manual presents adaptations to better meet elementary level students' goals and objectives and describes…

This monograph presents long-range plans of South Carolina's "Continuum of Care for Emotionally Disturbed Children" program, which provides community based services to children and adolescents with severe disturbances, through coordination and utilization of public, private, and individual services. An executive summary notes that 323…

This paper describes the inclusion of a 21-year-old woman, Joanna, with profound disabilities in a college class on educational methods of working with students with profound needs. This article presents the perspectives of the professor of the class, of Joanna's mother, and of a graduate student in the class. The professor reports on the positive…