The article covers the following areas: language acquisition, development, and disorders in bilingual individuals; instruments to assess first- and second-language skills of bilingual students; determination of a language disorder in a bilingual population; and intervention techniques such as the author's experience working with Puerto Rican and…

Surveys completed by 235 teachers of hearing impaired pupils resulted in rank ordering of 92 teaching competencies. Comparison with a 1956 study revealed significant changes in competencies considered to be important, suggesting the need for changes in teacher education coursework and certification requirements. (CL)

Seventeen educable mentally handicapped and learning disabled students (9-12 years old) who participated in a self-instruction (cognitive behavior modification) group scored better than a control group on the operations area of the KeyMath Diagnostic Test. Systematic instructional variables (such as precise assessment and task-analyzed curriculum)…

Analysis of 53 randomly chosen individualized education programs of secondary special education students revealed that less than half contained at least one vocationally oriented annual goal while more than half specified segregated placement. Limited participation in the staffing team by vocational educators was indicated. (CL)

A follow-up survey of 275 special education teachers revealed a moderately negative attitude to individualized education programs (IEPs). As a whole, they did not perceive a clear relationship between the document and daily classroom proceedings, nor did they cite support from other professionals in developing and implementing IEPs. (CL)

A study involving 157 fourth graders revealed that the Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children discriminated between adaptive and maladaptive behaviors among retarded and nonretarded Ss, while the Vineland produced significantly different scores for Anglos and Blacks. The Behavior Rating Profile did not discriminate between behavior of retarded…

Analysis of surveys administered to 151 special and regular educators, ancillary school personnel, administrators, and mental health personnel revealed behavioral clusters most likely to impede transitions from a mental health to educational setting. Survey responses further identified factors in ancillary support and classroom-related services…

Research is cited on methods to teach, generalize, and evaluate social interaction skills to handicapped children through specific systematic instruction that considers prompts, praise, training settings, time of day, teacher role, student grouping, and nature of activities. (CL)

Videotape analysis of the test performance of 15 speech and/or language handicapped preschoolers revealed that Ss' stronger performance with familiar examiners was associated with a greater duration and frequency of silence. The pattern suggested that familiar testers used silence to communicate expectation. (CL)

Impact evaluation of Retrieval and Acceleration of Promising Young Handicapped and Talented, a model program for gifted and talented handicapped preschoolers, revealed that 28 project children in three sites demonstrated statistically significant gains in self-esteem, purposiveness, creativity, and talent area functioning. (CL)

The article summarizes current knowledge as it relates to three basic requirements for assessment (qualified personnel, adequate tools, and fair implementation) and identifies research and evaluation priorities for special education and school psychology. Priorities include defining minimum competency for assessment personnel and identifying…

Analysis of 43 states' practices in involving parents in monitoring the appropriateness of educational services (as suggested in the regulations for P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act), revealed that parents have little direct involvement in the monitoring process. Training can help parents assume a larger role. (CL)

Fifteen legally blind preschoolers and 15 sighted controls matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status were observed with novel and non-novel toys. Analysis of the exploratory behavior revealed no significant differences between the interaction of each group with either toy except in patterns of sensory utilization. (CL)

Project SPECTRE, a program to assess the relative cost effectiveness of four types of special education inservice approaches, indicated that direct instruction produced more knowledge gain and greater cost effectiveness than independent study. Using university personnel in remote sites was the most effective direct intruction method. (Author/CL)

Factors influencing change in the population served under the label of mild retardation and the effects of the overall functional levels of mildly retarded students are examined. (Author/CL)