Like many educational innovations, mainstreaming has suffered from inflated promises and inadequate resources. Effective prereferral consultation can help address these problems if supported by a comprehensive plan including consultant selection, consultation training and support, administrative sanction, teacher training and support, parent…

The article compares Part B of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142) of 1975 with Part H and argues that the similar meanings of "appropriate educational services" and "least restrictive environment" under both parts support efforts to integrate infants and toddlers with disabilities. (Author/DB)

This article describes three dimensions of normalization that extend beyond mainstreaming in the context of early intervention: (1) the physical environment, (2) teaching and therapeutic strategies, and (3) family-focused services. Examples of normalized practices within each dimension are offered, and issues related to normalization are…

Parents of elementary students with learning disabilities (N=129) responded to questionnaires about types of modifications most facilitative of parental acceptance of full-time mainstreaming. Responses indicated parental participation in mainstreaming processes as an important factor in successful integration. Parents were supportive of full-time…

Suggestions are offered for organizing classrooms to promote learning by all students, including those with special educational needs. Two case studies illustrate the impact of reorganization of intermediate grade classrooms in terms of time on task, motivation, noise level, teacher-student communication, and other factors. (JDD)

Reviews research on social integration of special needs children into regular preschool programs. Techniques used to facilitate integration are reassessed. Suggestions for teacher promotion of social integration are provided. (RJC)

Profiles Phyllis M. Ford, chairwoman of the Department of Park and Recreation Resources at Michigan State University. Examines background of Ford's support for special education, environmental ethic, and leadership development. Praises her writings and work at University of Oregon, University of Iowa, and Washington State University. (TES)

Describes ERIC documents that discuss the training of child care staff. Topics include issues and needs in staff training; developmentally appropriate child care; school-age child care training packages; recruitment and training of temporary staff; and the mainstreaming of training guides and modules. (RJC)

Interviews with 25 graduates from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf indicated respondents felt both mainstream and residential schools offer specific advantages and disadvantages and selection may involve trading academic for social opportunity. Both school experiences are important in the socialization of deaf people and development…

Theory and research on children's emotional development are reviewed, and it is suggested that in mainstreaming children with disabilities, everything possible should be done to make the mainstream a hospitable environment for them, beginning with teacher recognition of responsibility for the classroom's socio-emotional climate. (MSE)

Cooperative learning can benefit all students, whether "average," low-achieving, gifted, or mainstreamed. Teachers trained at the University of Minnesota's Cooperative Learning Center expect to see students in small, heterogeneous groups using special skills and caring about each others' learning. Tips on cooperative spelling groups are…

A buddy system was used to help reintegrate pairs of learning-disabled students into regular classroom programs. Students were taught to observe, monitor, and reinforce appropriate behavior of their "buddies." Following implementation in the resource room, the program was extended to the regular class placement. (DB)

A survey of 377 adults at a small city shopping mall showed positive attitudes toward mainstreaming of handicapped students with normal potential for learning, and less favorable attitudes toward students exhibiting disruptive behavior. Subjects showed attitudinal differences based on their race, age, and child in school, but not their gender.…

The article describes a language-to-reading intervention method, termed "Communicative Reading Strategies," that can be used to provide language intervention within the context of the language-impaired child's classroom reading group. An example demonstrates modeling principles to assist children in dealing with the complexities of contextual…

The case study of an integrated preschool classroom with six disabled children and six nondisabled peers found that structural changes in the environment of the classroom were essential for the development of positive social interactions among the children. (Author/JDD)