The case of one language-minority child identified as mildly learning disabled is used to illustrate the concept of special education placement and instruction of language-minority children outlined in California's Optimal Learning Environment curriculum guide. A synopsis of the curriculum guide is included. (Author/MSE)

The literature on testing has documented the existence of persistent anomalies in test scores of bilingual students. School psychology, which is test-dependent and test-defined, has an inadequate technology and knowledge base to deal with the testing of bilingual students, leading to error and misdiagnosis exacerbated by lack of viable testing…

Limitations in standardized test use with Hispanic students are summarized and recent research developments supporting use of testing and assessment as tools for promoting learning are examined. Assisted performance and dynamic assessment are discussed in the context of individual education plans and a test-train-test cycle. (Author/MSE)

Seventeen bilingual speech and language pathologists submitted assessment reports on 51 limited-English-proficiency students and 44 Anglo students with suspected language disorders. Analysis indicated that a heavy diagnostic emphasis continues to be placed on results of discrete-point tests. A protocol to assess limited-English-speaking students…

Increasingly, training programs for teachers of students with both limited English proficiency and disabilities have emphasized an interface between special education and bilingual education. A pilot staff development program of the California Special Education Project, which includes a combination training and implementation phase, exemplifies…

Bilingual special education has emerged because of problems faced by linguistic minorities in special education. Progress and innovations begun by federal law have not yet reached linguistic minorities, particularly Hispanic children. The medical-model, reductionist paradigm is inimical to bilinguals. A paradigm shift and redefinition of bilingual…

A survey of 49 state directors of special education found that prereferral interventions for students suspected of having a handicap were required or recommended by most states. Also determined were types of interventions frequently used, professionals responsible for designing and implementing the interventions, and the interventions'…

Presented is a quantitative synthesis of examiner familiarity effects on Caucasian and minority students' test performance. Fourteen controlled studies were coded in terms of methodological quality and race-ethnicity. Caucasian students performed similarly in both familiar and unfamiliar examiner conditions, while Black and Hispanic children…

A survey was conducted with 294 community residential facilities serving adults with severe retardation. Compared to nonhandicapped community members, the residents were perceived to have more involvement in only 4 of 38 community activities, including employment or day activities, using health care services, walking/wheelchair strolling, and…

A survey of 1,450 special education administrators showed that most local education agencies (LEAs) offer vocational programs for handicapped youth, while transition-oriented services are not as frequently available, particularly in smaller LEAs. Community employment opportunities and the availability of adult services were related to availability…

In an effort to increase reading proficiency, five 9th- and 10th-grade students with behavior disorders were instructed to read along with an audiotape of vocabulary words. Results suggested significant effects due to practice. Minimal generalization from reading word lists to reading passages was demonstrated. (Author/JDD)

A study involving 215 hearing-impaired students and 63 mathematics teachers concluded that student background factors and the quality of instruction a hearing-impaired student receives are primary determinants of achievement in mainstreamed settings. Mainstreaming with an interpreter was found to have no specific effect on achievement for…

Following a brief outline of vitamin therapy's effects on schizophrenia and learning disabilities, research is reviewed on vitamin therapy for children with Down's Syndrome, concluding with a discussion of critical responses to research endorsing vitamin therapy. It is concluded that vitamin therapy contributes nothing to the development of…

Regular-education, third-grade teachers (n=91) in Indiana reviewed one of two psychological reports, identical except that one reported a diagnosis of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and one reported a diagnosis of rheumatic fever. AIDS was not found to be a biasing factor in teachers' judgments regarding special education placement.…

This paper reviews 31 studies which directly compared two or more instructional strategies used with students who display moderate to severe handicaps. The efficiency and effectiveness of 13 strategies are reported, including error manipulation strategies, response prompting strategies, naturalistic teaching strategies, and stimulus modification…