Parents of 69 students with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) were surveyed about their perceptions of, and their satisfaction with, educational services. Parents of nonverbal children rated classroom environment and education team variables more highly, as did parents of younger children and parents of more than one child with PDD.…

This article describes a preliminary information-gathering activity that examined 37 professionals' perceptions of their roles and that of families in the augmentative and alternative communication processes. Transcripts of proceedings were analyzed, and perceptions were organized around five themes: communication style, specific information…

A study investigated the repertoire of cognitive schemes used by 15 adolescents with mental retardation in the process of solving additive word problems. Findings provide evidence of at least a partial part-part-whole scheme for about half of the students and more use of metacognitive knowledge than is usually expected. (Contains references.)…

In this study, a system of least prompts, partial participation, and parental involvement was used to successfully teach an adolescent with Down syndrome, moderate mental retardation, and Type I diabetes to self-administer an injection of insulin as part of an overall plan to increase self-determination and independence. (Contains seven…

Paraprofessional staff (n=148) working in group homes, institutions, day care centers, and sheltered workshops for people with mental retardation participated in inservice training on adult education and basic teaching skills. The majority wrote and implemented individual teaching programs for their clients that resulted in positive gains in…

In this study, a prototype web browser, called Web Trek, that utilizes multimedia to provide access for individuals with cognitive disabilities was developed and pilot-tested with 12 adults with mental retardation. The Web Trek browser provided greater independence in accessing the Internet compared to Internet Explorer. (Contains references.)…

A study explored associations between co-teachers' (n=20) perceptions of similarity (in philosophical beliefs, personal characteristics and traits, and professional style) with one another and two quality outcomes. With disability status controlled for, there was a significant relationship between the co-teacher relationship and quality of the…

A study investigated the perceptions, levels of satisfaction, and concerns of 8 Korean parents of children with disabilities in regard to U.S. special education services. Participants expressed their satisfaction with certain aspects of the special education system, agreed they had been sent too many written materials, and used mediators.…

A study involving 351 Kenyan children with mental retardation found six predictors of educational participation: parents' beliefs about appropriateness of education for the child, about social acceptance of the child, about segregation, and about worthlessness of education of children with mental retardation, parents' level of education, and…

A study involving police officers in Western Australia (n=138) and Pennsylvania (n=168) revealed that officers responded differently to crimes involving persons with mental retardation. In some cases, police were more tolerant of the disability, in others they were less tolerant. Response patterns were not different for Australian and Pennsylvania…

A sexuality education program with a newly developed curriculum was provided to 12 adults with developmental disabilities to examine whether their sexual awareness and knowledge could be increased and their attitudes regarding sexuality could be changed. Knowledge increased and attitudes changed for the adults following the program. (Contains…

Three young adults with moderate to severe mental retardation were taught conversation skills using task analysis and cognitive strategies training procedures. Results show that the participants generalized the conversation skills learned under the cognitive strategies condition and that the cognitive strategies training allowed more normalized…

A study evaluated effects of providing sampling opportunities on preference development of two adults with severe disabilities. Opportunities for sampling drink items were presented, followed by choice opportunities for selections at the sampling site and a non-sampling site. Participants developed a definite response consistency in selections at…

A study found the stereotypic behaviors of four children with developmental disabilities reduced by 51.6 percent in a single frequency treatment consisting of one daily ten minute walk/jog session, however, the behaviors reduced 58.9 percent following a multiple frequency conditions that involved three ten minute walk/jog session per day.…

This study applied the methodology of an analog experimental (functional) analysis of behavior to the specific interaction between parents and three children with mental retardation exhibiting food refusal and related mealtime problems. Analog results were highly consistent with other forms of functional assessment data, including interviews,…