Former special education students (n=23) were surveyed to investigate the outcomes of mainstreaming urban youth with mild disabilities into regular vocational programs to prepare them for employment. All respondents had been employed in at least one job since graduation, but more were unemployed than employed. (Author/JOW)

Vocational teachers must address the needs of limited-English-speaking students who are Indochinese. Although legislative mandates require that bilingual education be provided, school systems are given latitude in developing programs. Vocational teachers should develop strategies and instructional techniques to serve these students more…

This editorial reviews the literature on the emotional states of gifted children, pointing out design flaws and the problem of using averages in such studies. Specific topics discussed include supersensitivity, guilt feelings in those who are gifted, the gifted underachiever, stress and coping, and fields for future research. (PB)

This article reviews techniques such as bibliotherapy, positive self-talk, and self-concept activities useful in suicide prevention curricula for gifted students. A guidance program designed for the social and emotional needs of the gifted student is proposed, covering such issues as perfectionism, societal expectations, and premature or…

This study surveyed school counselors in 129 high schools to examine factors in student suicidal behaviors. Of 40,805 students, 42 suicide-related events were reported, 8 of which involved gifted students. None was a completed suicide. Variables such as sex, race, family status, extracurricular activity, and nature of the attempt were considered.…

This study examined degrees of acceptance of the "gifted" label between 155 adolescents who reported either extreme comfort (N=71) or extreme discomfort (N=84) with the label. Few students reported the use of conferences in school-initiated labeling. Adolescents whose parents had initiated labeling were most likely to report comfort with the…

This study investigated self-concepts and quality of parent-adolescent communication among 60 gifted adolescent females, including 42 participants in early college entrance programs and 18 who stayed with traditional high school programs. Results indicate that parent-daughter communication varied widely between mothers and fathers and was…

The paper discusses the Regular Education Initiative as a conceptual revolution, as a political strategy, and as a flawed policy initiative. It argues that the REI focuses on a small number of highly emotional issues, such as integration, nonlabeling, efficiency, and excellence, which distract attention from deeper analysis. (Author/JDD)

Programs are described which use adapted puppetry technology and play with the physically handicapped, the elderly, special needs classroom students, and temporarily housed families. The programs were found to improve intellectual, social, and emotional behaviors, including self-expression, imagination, and communication skills. (Author/JDD)

The paper examines the rights of mentally handicapped people to marry and to bear and raise children. It discusses United States and Canadian societal attitudes, laws, and constitutional issues in terms of the incapacity of mentally handicapped individuals to contract to marry, sterilization as a condition to marriage, and the concept of…

A longitudinal study is evaluating the efficacy of a phenylalanine-restricted diet in reducing disabling conditions associated with maternal hyperphenylalaninemia. Titled the Maternal PKU Collaborative Study, it is studying 162 American and Canadian women and involves diet therapy, prenatal examinations, laboratory tests, nutritional evaluation,…

Two developments are described with particular significance for the instruction of exceptional students in regular education settings: (1) the articulation of a collaborative consultation model of educational service delivery, and (2) research advances in instructional effectiveness. The article merges these two developments in a discussion of…

This review examines the research on teacher roles in resource room programs. It identifies and discusses four assumptions about resource teaching, in the areas of role definition and perception by education professionals and the efficacy of direct and indirect service programs. (Author/JDD)

A study of the attitudes of 821 secondary-level students in British Columbia (Canada) found that the majority supported mainstreaming of handicapped students in their classes, females were more positive than males, older students were more positive than younger students, and physical contact with handicapped students did not automatically lead to…

The article discusses using Boolean logic as a tool for searching computerized information retrieval systems in special education and rehabilitation technology. It includes discussion of the Boolean search operators AND, OR, and NOT; Venn diagrams; and disambiguating parentheses. Six suggestions are offered for development of good Boolean logic…