Challenges in applying cognitive strategy research to complex knowledge domains in students with learning disabilities include the need to focus on deficits in domain-specific knowledge; adaptation of assessment designs to answer cognitive questions; and procedures for individual cognitive strategy instruction in group settings. A research agenda…

Elementary-aged students (n=106) who had been referred for evaluation as possibly mildly/educably mentally handicapped were administered audiometric and visual acuity tests. Discriminant function analysis found no relationship between test results and classification/placement as mildly handicapped. Alternate testing procedures are recommended for…

A school district in Nanaimo, British Columbia (Canada) implemented a transdisciplinary team to provide services for students with multiple handicaps. The team comprises a special education teacher, speech/language pathologist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, and teacher aides. This paper describes team member roles and responsibilities,…

Forty-seven senior education students' attitudes toward teaching special needs children in the mainstream did not change significantly after a four-month practicum. Subjects reported more positive attitudes to mainstreaming than did a similar group of interns from eight years prior. Characteristics such as age and gender were unrelated to…

Returning mildly mentally handicapped students to regular classrooms is not the least restrictive or most appropriate program. These students require a slower paced curriculum, more social behavior remediation, and a smaller pupil/teacher ratio than regular classrooms offer. Mainstreaming may lead to a higher dropout rate and subsequent need for…

This literature review examined the effectiveness of seven training programs for parents of junior high school students with learning disabilities. Parent training usually resulted in an increase in desired behaviors both at home and at school; difficulties encountered in parent training programs included lack of cooperation from parents and a…

This paper identifies fundamental characteristics of successful heterogeneous public schools, outlining examples of practices that enable schools to accommodate greater student variance. Characteristics include, among others, outcomes-based instructional models; utilization of peer power; cooperative learning; opportunities for professional…

Arguments in favor of and against the Regular Education Initiative (REI) are presented. Lack of appropriate qualifications of regular classroom teachers and a lack of empirical evidence on REI effectiveness are cited as some of the problems with the approach. (JDD)

This paper discusses the terms "right to an education,""appropriate education," and "equality of treatment" within the framework of recent Canadian and American court cases and literature. It is concluded that students are guaranteed some educational benefits but not necessarily maximum benefit and that a continuum of placements is necessary. (JDD)

Ten first grade teachers completed rating scales for 39 at-risk students. Analysis suggested that teacher recommendations for special needs placement were strongly related to student academic functioning, modestly related to student emotional development, and not significantly related to student social and behavioral competence. (Author/JDD)

This article reviews the rationales and premises of the Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) approach and early childhood special education (ECSE), highlighting areas of overlap. DAP's insufficiencies for planning, implementing, and evaluating ECSE programs are noted. A selective literature review clarifies issues separating the two areas,…

Five principles of learning for young children with handicaps (functioning below a developmental age of one year) are presented, with descriptions of strategies that can be used to facilitate ascendance to higher levels of cognitive-social-communicative functioning. The principles include frequent adult-child interactions, meaningful context for…

"Early Partners" and "Partners for Learning" is a 2-part curriculum to support parent-child interactions in the first 36 months of a premature, low birthweight child's life. Analysis showed that the rate of delivering the curriculum in the child development center and the home added significantly to the prediction of 36-month intelligence…

Preschool children (n=194) with special needs enrolled in the Model Preschool Program for Children with Down Syndrome and Other Developmental Delays exhibited significantly higher rates of development during intervention than when the children entered the program. Effects were mixed for the 92 children with Down syndrome, with higher rates of…

This 1-year study found that emergent literacy behaviors were developed in 14 children (ages 4-6) with disabilities who were exposed to daily structured literacy activities. Independent book interactions increased in complexity and sustained attention, and "writing" behaviors increased in complexity, variety, and structure. (Author/JDD)