Evaluation of sociometric ratings assigned by and to 27 educable mentally retarded high school students partially mainstreamed found that retarded students rated their peers more negatively and received more negative ratings than matched (for race, grade, sex, socioeconomic status, participation in extracurricular activities) controls. (DB)

A new partnership between special education and regular education is advocated to address obstacles interfering with effective instruction for handicapped children. School psychologists must shift to a proactive position of preventing learning and instructional problems. Children must receive the best instruction and services possible within the…

The article claims that (1) categorical services are essential to fully help the blind and visually impaired population maintain what progress has been made; and (2) that the rehabilitation system cannot disregard the fact that the unique needs of the visually impaired require the services of specialized professionals. (Author/DB)

The study compared the physical fitness of 283 segregated resident, 64 segregated nonresident, and 137 integrated visually impaired subjects aged 10 to 17 years. Results indicated that educational environment (favoring the segregated environment) was a significant factor on four of the six items in the physical fitness test battery. (Author/DB)

The two phase study (1) analyzed the need for deaf interpreter services in the schools and (2) developed a data base of characteristics and skills around which criteria for the preparation and evaluation of interpreters could be developed. (DB)

Comparison of attitudes of 47 deaf and normal hearing high school students taught in either self-contained or mainstreamed classrooms found that deaf students in self-contained classrooms expressed significantly more negativism than did students from other educational milieus. (DB)

This critical analysis of least restrictive environment (LRE) for the developmentally disabled reviews the origins and operationalization of LRE in terms of a continuum of residential, educational, and vocational services. Pitfalls in LRE, especially for severely disabled persons, are enumerated and commitment to the contrasting principle of…

The article responds to previous articles about the regular education initiative and concludes that there is little evidence to justify present practices of student categorization of the mildly handicapped in special education and that the need for major reform is great. (Author/DB)

Perceived school loneliness and isolation of 73 partially mainstreamed retarded students (mean age 13.5 years) and their nonretarded peers was assessed using a five-point Likert-type loneliness scale. Retarded students reported significantly more loneliness and isolation than nonretarded peers suggesting that mainstreaming by itself does not…

This paper reviews the implications of definitions of learning disabilities for the Regular Education Initiative. Since heterogeneity (i.e., developmental imbalances, intraindividual gaps) is characteristic of this population, regular classroom modifications alone are unlikely to meet these students' needs and thus special services will continue…

Using a Delphi technique, a 100-member interdisciplinary, expert panel from 47 states identified 47 competencies in eight categories as essential to collaborative consultation between special and regular educators. Highest ratings were given to interactive communication, collaborative problem solving, and personal characteristics. (Author/DB)

Concerns raised by the regular education initiative of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services include: the possible elimination of services to learning disabled students, the greater potential for school failure and its relatively greater damage than the "learning disability" label, and the inappropriateness of the…

The correlates of classroom behavior problems for groups of 40 mainstreamed learning disabled (LD) and 40 non-LD students (grades 3-6) were identified from among various personality indicators. One personality variable--reactivity--predicted total problem behavior for the LD group, although reactivity and social flexibility predicted variance in…

Regular kindergarten to grade 2 teachers (N=77) from the Montreal area completed a questionnaire on academic background in special education, special education teaching experience, and willingness to integrate a mentally handicapped child into the regular classroom. Only academic background in special education correlated with willingness to…

The arguments of the Canadian court case Elwood v. Halifax County--Bedford District School Board, which established educational rights for the disabled under the Canadian Charter of Rights, are reviewed and the text of the agreement reprinted. The case established precedents in mainstreaming disabled students and involving parents in educational…