Reviewed are methods of treating self injurious behavior in mentally retarded persons with emphasis on the ethical considerations and the justification for aversive therapy. (DB)

This report discusses school fall Enrollment of Montana based on race/ethnicity for the 2003-2004 school year. Sections include: (1) Montana School Fall Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Overview; and (2) Montana School Fall Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity-2003-04 School Year. Fall enrollment data are collected by school, grade, gender, and race/ethnicity…

In this book the author discusses the field of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) as one in which practitioners are highly committed, dedicated and willing to learn. Generally, they try to do their very best for the children with whom they work. However, the author also shows that the field has hitherto been neglected in the areas of…

The study of the role of students' interest in their learning has seen a resurgence in the past 20 years. This chapter examines the ways in which adolescents' interests develop, differ from those of younger children, and contribute to their developing sense of self. The chapter helps to explain why many adolescents lack academic interests and how…

A theoretical model for collaborative inquiry as a research methodology in adult education has been proposed. The model, which likens collaborative inquiry to the process of organic gardening, depicts a sphere in motion where the cycles of collaborative inquiry revolve in continuous motion. In the center of the sphere is a collaborative self that…

Although pretend play has long been part of the early childhood curriculum, recent emphasis on accountability in education seems to have led to a decline in the general understanding of the contribution that high-quality play can make to children's cognitive development in the early years. This digest defines the cluster of concepts related to…

This fact sheet offers definitions of the three types of spina bifida (spina bifida occulta, meningocele, and myelomeningocele), outlines their incidence, describes characteristics of individuals with spina bifida, and reviews educational implications. The fact sheet discusses the need for many children with myelomeningocele to learn to manage…

Once material has been learned to a criterion of one perfect trial, further study within the same session constitutes overlearning. Although overlearning is a popular learning strategy, its effect on long-term retention is unclear. In two experiments presented here, 218 college students learned geography facts (Experiment 1) or word definitions…

Critical thinking can be explained as an effective, organized and functional cognitive process to understand our own thoughts and other people's opinions and to improve our dispositions to express ourselves. Critical thinking is a process and also dispositions about deciding what to do or believe logically. In addition it provides the possibility…

A major challenge to state and jurisdictional policy makers in implementing the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities, Part C under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), continues to be determining definitions of developmental delay and criteria of eligibility for services to young children, birth…

Most youth in America have a good chance of becoming productive members of adult society. However, for a particular group of young people, at-risk youth, the probability of maturing into responsible adulthood is less certain. "At-risk youth" is a term commonly used to describe those adolescents for whom there is a high probability (risk)…

Confusion over the concepts of class size and pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) creates a conundrum for researchers, policy makers, and practitioners. An examination of how these two concepts are different is presented in this paper. A review of the literature suggests that class-size reduction makes a positive overall difference in student achievement,…

In May 1972, 2,900 copies of a survey were distributed eliciting opinions about the meaning of some qualifying adjectives and phrases commonly used in "verbal communications." These same adjective phrases are commonly used in survey research. They include phrases such as "a few,""a majority,""nearly all,"…

This report provides an update on the nature and extent of sexual harassment at the three Department of Defense (DOD) service academies. It is based on a stratified random survey of 430 Military Academy cadets, 470 Naval Academy midshipmen, and 428 Air Force Academy cadets, which oversampled women to ensure that a statistically significant number…