Characteristics of children (n=296) referred to a psychiatric outpatient facility for evaluation of behavioral and school-learning problems were compared to classroom placement recommendations made by a school interdisciplinary team. Results indicate general trends in the relationship between placement options and the incidence and severity of…

The responses of two experts in the field of visually impaired education to a recent council position paper address aspects of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, alternative placements, local school district versus residential school placement, supportive integration, and a rationale for the maintenance of both special and regular…

Presents an overview of both the federal statute governing the education of children with disabilities and the "Burlington" decision that requires, under certain circumstances, public school districts to reimburse parents for private educational expenses. Examines the leading cases involving parental placement of disabled children in…

Investigated the adequacy of the Gesell School Readiness Screening Test (GSRST) to gauge 46 kindergartners' readiness. Found agreement between GSRST and teacher assessments of student readiness. Test-retest and interrater reliability were below acceptable levels, and lower than figures yielded by a quantitative scoring method. Concluded that GSRST…

Focuses on needs of recent immigrant children in Canadian cities, outlining problems teachers face in assessing, placing, and teaching such children in a Winnipeg elementary school. Suggests the need for specific educational policies considering everyday sociological realities. Policies should provide a context and resources to support school and…

A survey of 128 parents of hearing-impaired children enrolled in residential schools for the deaf found that many parents were not given information about placement options or were dissatisfied with the information. The paper examines reasons for residential placement, parents' views of the advantages and disadvantages of residential placement,…

A variety of accelerative options for gifted high school students is described, including part-time college programs and full-time early entrance programs. The University of Washington's Transition School and Early Entrance Program is presented as an option for teenagers to enter university without attending high school at all. (DB)

Notes that recommendations of preschool teachers are pivotal in creating a "goodness of fit" when placing special needs children. Discusses child, parent, and program considerations for placement decisions. (HTH)

A longitudinal study, since 1979, of two cohorts of young children with developmental delays concluded that developmental delay is a reasonable preschool eligibility option for special education services, that over three-fourths of such children later entered categorical special education, and that developmental delay should be viewed as a subset…

A private day school, Willie Ross School for the Deaf, designed a whole-language approach to reading appropriate for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. This article compares traditional and psycholinguistic approaches to reading, describes the early childhood classroom environment, and presents a lesson using folktales. An assessment checklist is…

This discussion of ethical issues in the practice of teacher collaboration linking special and regular education considers reasons for collaboration, student placement, classroom diversity and teacher stress, confidentiality, the effectiveness of collaborative interventions, and teacher attitudes and successful collaboration. (DB)

Mara Sapon-Shevin and Jim Kauffman debate the potential and pitfalls of the inclusion movement. Sapon-Shevin enumerates the benefits of inclusion accompanied by adequate resources, support and commitment, teacher preparation time, restructuring, and staff development. Kauffman insists that alternative settings are necessary for some students and…

Summarizes recent research concerning inclusion's (generally positive) effects on student learning and social relations with classmates. Three meta-analyses address the most-effective-setting issue by generating a common measure, an effect size. These effect sizes demonstrate a small-to-moderate beneficial influence of inclusive education on…

Analysis of data from approximately 58,000 deaf and hard of hearing students (ages 6 through 21) analyzed relationships among reading comprehension and mathematics computation achievement scores, classroom attributes, and demographic factors associated with achievement. Adjustment of scores for demographic factors suggested higher performance for…

The Colorado Individual Performance Profile for Hearing-Impaired Students is presented as a tool for providing objective criteria for determining appropriate levels of educational services. The profile rates each student's audiological acuity, communication, English language skills, social-emotional development, life skills, cognition, and other…