The paper suggests alternative policy directions for moving the field away from traditional yet unproductive service delivery. Five areas are covered: (1) merger of mildly handicapped children for instruction; (2) emphasis on clinical teaching; (3) reexamination of programs; (4) exploration of alternative delivery systems for legislative change;…

Examines variables influencing integration of severely handicapped students into less restrictive school environments. Specifically presents research and practice findings related to (1) opportunities for interaction; (2) the social behavior of handicapped and nonhandicapped individuals; (3) activities typically used in transition efforts; and (4)…

Research is reviewed on characteristics of low socioeconomic families for whom intervention has been judged as having failed. Among factors addressed are verbal skills and styles, material interactional styles, perceptions of handicap, and living conditions. (CL)

Twenty mothers predicted to achieve low teaching proficiency in a group training program participated in a modified group training program that minimized didactic inputs and stressed more action-oriented ones. Eighty-five percent completed training, and gains were significant for knowledge of behavioral principles, teaching skills, and reported…

Reinforced statements, including start and completion time statements, and clock orientation statements describing start and completion times helped three moderately retarded employees improve their work performance. Two Ss met supervisor-established time criteria with few exceptions. The third subject attained criterion after the time criterion…

Nineteen vocational rehabilitation clients were trained to assemble 12-part apparatuses via a forward chaining or whole task training sequence with a one-second progressive or an unlimited prompt delay. Less training time but more prompts were required in whole task than in forward chaining conditions. Whole-task unlimited delay yielded most…

Eighty-four percent of the trainable mentally handicapped 15- to 21-year-old students who received an instructional sequence featuring isometric projection exploded view assembly drawings successfully transferred the assembly process skills to a complex industrial assembly task that was not included in previous training. (CL)

Long-term job maintenance problems among graduates of a vocational placement program fell largely into three categories: (1) declining vocational performance due to scarcity of performance feedback; (2) deficits in social and/or life skills; and (3) emergence of job threatening problems after completion of agency intervention. Findings suggest a…

A 16-year-old severely handicapped student was trained to bowl, purchase a drink from the concession, and use a vending machine in the bowling alley in six weeks. The subject successfully transferred the skill to similar environment and materials. (CL)

A retrospective research design was used in an examination of resident records that lent support for the potential of a monitoring system for influencing the structure, content, and effectiveness of individual programs for residents. (Author/CL)

The article reviews trends in litigation, mainstreaming, definition, and adaptive behavior of mildly mentally retarded students. Guidelines are offered for establishing criteria of eligibility for placement in programs for the population. (CL)

Followup of 243 post-high school mentally retarded youths indicated that certain high school vocational and educational experiences were related to post-school employment status and salary level, that employment rates remained stable across rural, urban, and metropolitan areas, and that the majority of jobs were through self-family-friend…