This discussion paper, which addresses the abuse of children in residential establishments, is presented in outline form and includes comments and contributions from a wide range of professionals working in various settings. An introduction notes the reported increase in sexual abuse of children in institutions, a variety of proposed monitoring…

This document presents a literature review on effective educational programs for students with severe behavior disorders. The literature review's scope includes definitions of relevant terminology, statistics on prevalence, descriptions of several conceptual models and how they affect perceptions of the etiology of behavior disorders and thus the…

This guide is designed to assist principals in the supervision of special education programs in their schools. The first of seven papers, by Ann Schnepf and Linda DeClue, offers a general overview of supervisory practices pertaining to special education. Subsequent papers review specific categories of students with disabilities and the supervision…

This brief paper offers suggestions for parents and teachers working together to develop meaningful communication skills in deaf multihandicapped children. An intervention program developed by Jan VanDijk is described. This program involves the use of environmental engineering to teach language concepts with materials such as a calendar box with…

The Utah Elementary Integration Dissemination (UEID) Project of the University of Utah disseminates proven instructional planning and delivery practices used in the education of young children with severe disabilities and provides technical support for inclusive programs and pratices for these students. Many rural school districts are forced to…

A survey was conducted of the families and teachers of 1009 students with severe disabilities from five states, to identify factors associated with their integrated educational placement. The questionnaires were designed to measure 19 variables which integration literature suggests are predictive of integrated placement. Logistic regression…

Three elementary-age students with severe disabilities were moved from a special education class to an integrated (chronological age-appropriate regular education) classroom. The intervention resulted in substantial reductions in challenging behavior along with simultaneous increases in appropriate task-related and social behavior for all three…

This paper addresses the involvement of students with severe communication disorders in school curricula. First, current best practices regarding eligibility for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services are addressed. This is followed by a discussion of whether students who use AAC systems should be educated in regular or special…

This special edition explores the serious genetic disorder, Lesch-Nyhan Disease (LND), which is characterized by severe dystonia, spasticity, speech impairment, renal disease, varying degrees of cognitive deficit, and, especially, compulsive self-injury. The information provided is based on experience at the Matheny School and Hospital (New…

This manual presents six papers on the design of community-based employment programs for students with severe disabilities. The first paper is "Community-Based Vocational Preparation for Students with Severe Disabilities: Designing the Process" by Katherine J. Inge et al. This paper details a five-step process for designing such a…

The purpose of this manual, the culmination of a graduate project begun at the University of Kansas, is to assist individuals with severe, multiple disabilities and their service providers in learning to utilize nonsymbolic behaviors in an expanded, facilitative manner that leads to more consistent and predictable communication functioning. The…

Twelve chapters describe efforts under Project AMES (Actualization of Mainstream Experience Skills) to teach functional vocational and community living skills to moderately and severely handicapped students. The first chapter details Project AMES' components (vocational, community mobility, domestic living, and recreation/leisure skills) and…

The Alaska Consortium for Transition Services (ACTS) is a federally funded project to develop and implement secondary transition planning for rural Alaska students with severe disabilities. Secondary transition is the process of change occurring as students prepare to move from high school to adult life. As rural Alaska's severely disabled…

This learning module, which is intended for use in in-service training for vocational rehabilitation counselors, deals with effectively supervising groups of clients in a production setting. The following topics are discussed: the purposes of production, production strategies, supervisory tactics, ways of making criticism effective, practical…

This implementation guide, based on the MESH model (Montana Model for Education of the Severely Handicapped), is intended to assist administrators and teachers in planning for the transition of special education students from one placement to another, with emphasis on preparation for community living and independent functioning. The 11 modules…