Regular education students (n=81) and students with serious emotional disturbance (n=81,) were matched on age (7-13), gender, race, and intelligence. They completed drawings which were scored using the "Draw a Person: Screening Procedure for Emotional Disturbance." Students with emotional disturbance scored significantly higher than did the…

The study reviewed a national sample of American newspapers (N=84) concerning their coverage of disability issues. Findings indicated a sizable number (428) of substantial references to persons with disabilities or their families on a daily basis. Such references tended to occur in feature or "soft" news articles rather than "hard" news stories.…

The study examined perceptions, knowledge, and opinions regarding medication of 146 teachers of students with serious emotional disturbances. Among findings were that global impressions were most often used to evaluate drug effects and that hyperactivity and delusions/hallucinations were most likely to lead to medication. (DB)

The study, with learning-disabled (n=152) and low-achieving (n=93) elementary and middle school students, attempted to isolate which cognitive ability and academic achievement variables from the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery differentiated the two groups. Three W-J academic variables (skills, reading, and written language) most…

A 5-second constant time delay procedure was used to teach 10 word definitions to 3 fifth grade students with mild learning handicaps. All students learned the definitions in 8 to 9 sessions with students maintaining correct responding at 6, 10, and 14 weeks after training. Generalization was also observed. (Author/DB)

In response to Kauffman (EC 221 675), the article addresses (1) the appropriateness of the metaphor describing changes in services to students currently supported by special education; (2) the importance of integration and a values-based approach to research and the redesign of services; and (3) the importance of special education's participation…

In response to Kauffman (EC 221 675), the article examines Kauffman's portrayal of the relationship between the educational needs of students with handicaps and those of minority students currently referred to being "at risk" and problems associated with Kauffman's implicit devaluing of the need for substantive reform in special education. (DB)

In response to Kauffman (EC 221 675), the article challenges the following: that the Regular Education Initiative (REI) is a Reagan-Bush plot to cut the costs of special education; that REI is value-driven with placement as the only consideration; and that REI is intended to do away with special education and strengthen regular education. (DB)

The rejoinder to responses to a 1989 article (EC 221 675), the original author defends his criticism of the Department of Education's Regular Education Initiative and responds to specific concerns including teacher specialization in specific disability areas and the importance of the spirit of the times in shaping educational reform. (DB)

Constant time delay was found to be an effective strategy in teaching targeted facts to four secondary-age students with mild and moderate mental retardation. Students also learned other students' target facts through observation and learned incidental information embedded in the consequent event following correct responding. (Author/JDD)

This paper reviews 27 studies that taught community skills to persons with moderate to severe mental handicaps and tested the generalization of these skills. The review, which analyzed the degree of generalization that occurred and the effect of different strategies used, concludes that the general case method is the most effective strategy.…

Eleven learning-handicapped students, ages 8-13, generated text at microcomputers both alone and as members of dyads. Examination of mechanical errors revealed a lower error rate in the dyad condition compared to working alone. The relationship between error monitoring and the social interaction needed for collaboration is discussed. (Author/JDD)

Early intervention professionals (N=95) rated their own knowledge and skills in 16 areas of competency. The paper analyzes the distinction between knowledge and skills, identification of item clusters, and changes in ratings over time. Findings provide partial support for the usefulness of self-ratings in the context of inservice education. (JDD)

The agreement between visual analysis and the results of the split-middle method of trend estimation was examined using a set of 24 stimulus graphs and 30 raters. Results revealed poor agreement between the two methods, and low sensitivity, specificity, and predictive ability for visual analysis in relation to statistical inferences. (JDD)

The memory processes of 24 learning-disabled adolescents were compared to those of 13 nondisabled age-level and 13 nondisabled reading-level counterparts. Subjects performed similarly to reading-level peers on global recall measures, but actual processing was more similar to their age-level counterparts. (Author/JDD)