After being paired with regular educators (N=25), special education resource teachers (N=25) attempted to predict regular education responses to an opinionnaire regarding mainstreaming. Special educators underestimated regular education willingness to teach the handicapped, but correctly predicted attitudes involving resources, feelings of…

Illinois special educators' (N=75) rankings of prevalence of crime victimization and delinquency among educable mentally retarded, behaviorally disordered, and learning-disabled students matched rankings seen in state crime report records. Behaviorally disordered students were more often victims and perpetuators of violent crime than were the…

A nominated group of effective local special education administrators (N=124) and a random sample of administrators (N=124) responded to a survey regarding factors critical to administrative success. The effective sample valued the importance of each factor with respect to its impact on personal and organizational success more than the random…

A review of theories and practices of contemporary special education in the Soviet Union focuses on the current state and tendencies in development of basic theoretical concepts, methods of screening, and organizational structure of special education and compares these with American theoretical considerations and practical approaches. (Author/CB)

An international review and comparison of terminology development for cognitive disabilities (intellectual subnormality, mental retardation, mental deficiency, and oligophrenia) identifies cultural differences, social development, level of scientific development, philosophical orientation, prevalence, and social attitudes as factors relating to…

Part of a special issue on adaptive behavior, the article presents a brief and selective history of the care and treatment of persons with mental retardation, emphasizing the roles that adaptive behavior has played in assessment and treatment. Current and possible future applications of adaptive behavior are also discussed. (Author/JW)

Part of a special issue on adaptive behavior, the article discusses three assessment-related issues: (1) clarity of the construct of adaptive behavior; (2) norm samples for adaptive behavior scales; and (3) predictive validity of adaptive behavior scales. Improvements are noted in the standardization properties of major adaptive behavior scales.…

Part of a special issue on adaptive behavior, the article reviews adaptive behavior research in areas which include the relationship between adaptive behavior and intelligence and school achievement, relationship between different measures of adaptive behavior, predictive aspects, declassification, group differences in adaptive behavior,…

Adaptive behavior and mental retardation are addressed in terms of their historical relationship, current definitions and concepts, and issues related to structure and content. The role of community environmental factors in the adaptive behavior of mentally retarded persons is examined. Through a case study, implications of using adaptive behavior…

Results of clinical research involving specific subtypes of psychological disorders in elementary age children are reported. Compared to controls, emotionally disturbed children manifested greatest adaptive behavior deficits in socialization and maladaptive areas of functioning, with less predictable patterns of deficit in such areas as…

The unique adaptive behavior characteristics of five subtypes of students identified as learning disabled (LD) are described: (1) non-LD (though classified as such); (2) production deficits; (3) verbal organization disorders; (4) nonverbal organization disorders; (5) global functional disorders. Implications for assessment, programming, and…

The article examines problems in the traditional assessment procedures used with the physically handicapped and discusses the use of adaptive behavior scales with emphasis on application of the results through a multidisciplinary approach. Selected adaptive behavior scales are described, and guidelines for test administration with the physically…

Adaptive behavior instruments that are environmentally relevant can be used effectively in intervention planning for physically handicapped students. Five desirable characteristics in such instruments are listed, selected instruments are reviewed, and a systems approach to assessing adaptive behavior is described in the context of developing…

The article highlights empirically validated instructional intervention programs for teaching independent living skills to moderately and severely retarded individuals in the areas of self-care, home management, consumer education, and community mobility as these skills relate to adaptive behavior in community settings. (Author/JW)

The article documents relationships between adaptive behavior and social skills. Social competence deficits in mildly handicapped children are classified into four types: skill deficits, performance deficits, self-control skill deficits, and self-control performance deficits. Assessment procedures for classification and intervention purposes are…