Twenty-four learning disabled (LD) elementary grade children were given spelling lessons incorporating reduced unit size, distributed practice and review, and training for transfer. Ss scored higher on a posttest measure than a comparison group that had received more traditional lessons. (CL)

ALT (academic learning time) was obtained on 60 nonhandicapped and 60 mainstreamed handicapped students in elementary physical education classes. Results indicated that Ss in individualized instruction settings engaged in a significantly greater amount of ALT than Ss of nonusers, with no significant difference between mainstreamed handicapped and…

In a study of hearing and deaf children's (8-13 years old) identification with neutrally presented animal characters, hearing students (N=59) made more masculine associations than did hearing impaired students (N=23), and males had more masculine scores than females. (Author/CL)

The underlying reasons for muddled definitions of emotional disturbance and their resultant befuddled diagnostic processes are discussed in terms of four factors: (1) the impact of theory, (2) societal diversity, (3) benchmarks for decision making, and (4) instrumentation. The author presents a method for diagnosis that is practical, functional,…

The factor-analytic structure of the SRBCSS (Scale for Rating Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Children) was analyzed to determine whether the factors found are similar to the behavioral dimensions that the SRBCSS purports to assess. The results suggest that there are five dimensions being assessed by the SRBCSS. (Author/CL)

Important issues pertaining to educating the preservice undergraduate special educator are discussed by critically analyzing literature from a nontraditional, multidisciplinary perspective. Diagnostic-prescriptive teaching methodologies are found to be inadequate once again, and suggestions are provided to expand the field's conciousness level by…

A rationale for exploratory learning via computers is presented, emphasizing the need for modeling normal communication development in children with communication handicaps, including deafness, cerebral palsy, and autism. (Author/CL)

Fifty-two special education and nonspecial education majors enrolled in an introductory special education course were randomly assigned to either an experimental group that observed videotapes of handicapped children or a control group that did not. Experimental group Ss had significantly more positive attitudes toward the handicapped. (Author)

Thirty-six braille students (grades 4 through 12) were asked to inspect a tactile display consisting of nine removable symbols. Students in the lower grades benefited most from the systematic searching training and were superior to the control group in the same grades. (Author)

A review of the literature suggests that no significant research has been conducted with adolescents with educational handicaps in the areas of achievement motivation, labeling, memory and retrieval, moral development, and cognitive development and integration. (Author)

A double blind, double crossover study with six hyperactive boys (8 to 13 years old) tested B. Feingold's hypothesis that synthetic food colors cause hyperactivity in some children. All Ss were on the Feingold diet, eliminating artificial colors and flavors. The authors conclude that evidence for Feingold's hypothesis is weak. (Author)

The special education periodical literature was examined, drawing from four major journals over a 5-year period. Four reviewers classified each article from 1972 to 1977 according to process, content, category, audience, and exceptionality. The clearest distinction among journals can be made in the areas of exceptionality. (Author)

The author reviews three topics featured in his first Behavior Modification column: pupil management, social validation, and nondiscriminatory testing. Two new topics are also discussed: data and decisions, and program evaluation. (Author)

Issues in special education in Poland during the 1970s included mainstreaming, vocational education, teacher education, and attitudes toward socially maladjusted adolescents. (CL)

The author discusses the substantive and methodological contributions which several disciplines can make to naturalistic research in the field of special education and raises definitional issues. (Author)