Describes a model class for instructing general and special educators in best practices in inclusive education. The class emphasized cooperative learning and decision making, highly structured problem solving activities, and use of in vivo case studies involving children with disabilities in local schools. These components were designed to model…

Investigated attention-to-task and its relation to instructional context among 24 mainstreamed children with learning disabilities. Observation of students in regular class and resource room revealed significant differences in rate of engagement for classroom setting, type of instruction, and level of peer involvement, indicating that degree of…

Analyzes children's responses to formal and informal curricula dealing with aspects of human diversity in two mainstreamed, multicultural day care centers. (FMW)

Resource teachers' and regular teachers' ratings for 32 elementary-level learning-disabled (LD) students were compared to identify teachability characteristics and behaviors. Though the two groups of teachers did not note differences in problem behaviors of the same LD child in different settings, differences in cognitive/motivational and…

A series of four consultative meetings between the Local Education Authority of Derbyshire, England and voluntary organizations representing various disabilities is described. Major issues which emerged during discussions included resources, the role of special schools in integration, the 1981 Education Act and Multi-professional Assessment, and…

Analysis of six basal reading programs found that only two programs included literacy instruction suggestions for mainstreamed special education students, and suggestions were few. Discussion focuses on the need to provide general education teachers with teachers' manuals and professional development opportunities that offer explicit suggestions…

Provides preschool teachers with techniques for effectively including children with disabilities in their classrooms. Examines parent cooperation, the classroom environment, curriculum, developmental problems, special teachers, and the use of the "buddy system." Presents a case study of the inclusion of a child with severe mental and…

This study compared a variety of outcome measures for eighth-grade students with special needs integrated into regular social studies classes. Students with special needs performed similarly to regular education peers on multiple-choice facts tests, multiple-choice problem-solving tests, and short problem-solving essays, but performed…

Describes the demographic, social, and political variables influencing the development of young children; their relationship to the need for comprehensive services; and the need for early childhood educators who possess competencies to serve diverse groups of young children, including those dealing with poverty, violence, cultural diversity,…

Describes and illustrates a technique for using guided dramatization in intervention with special needs or at-risk children. Discusses social benefits of the technique. Maintains that the technique is useful for helping mainstreamed children socially integrate into the regular classroom. (BG)

Action research, in which classroom teachers engage in systematic inquiry to develop new alternatives for approaching problematic classroom situations, is presented as a dimension of collaboration that has the potential to reduce teachers' resistance to changes in teaching practice as they work to accommodate diverse classroom populations.…

This survey found that regular education teachers (n=312) felt that friendships between students with and without disabilities are possible, should be facilitated by adults, and are beneficial to all students. The survey also identified educational settings in which friendship, functional life skill, and academic skill development were most likely…

This article presents strategies for early intervention in integrated settings for children with disabilities. The strategies attempt to follow principles of both developmentally appropriate practice and effective special education. Strategies are grouped into four categories: (1) attention and responsiveness to the child; (2) environmental…

This study of teacher behavior and peer interactions in preschools found that peer interaction of children with disabilities was associated with resource teacher focus on groups that included children with disabilities and/or resource teachers' no response and was inversely associated with classroom teachers' focus on children with disabilities…

Analysis of Canadian provincial educational legislation and case law relevant to the rights of students with disabilities yielded 15 key rights encompassing such areas as free nondiscriminatory public education, barrier-free access, identification and placement, appeal, appropriate education and special education services, and parent…