The speech by the Assistant Secretary of the Special Education Division of the Department of Education and Science explains the options for flexibility possible in meeting the needs of handicapped students under the new British National Curriculum. (DB)

The article examines issues of concern to the introduction of required teacher appraisals in British special schools. A survey of 32 headteachers in special schools suggests some guidelines for an effective and fair system, including integrating appraisal with staff development, encouraging self evaluation, and improving inservice education. (DB)

The article describes a series of 10 games designed to improve the communication skills of pupils with severe learning difficulties. The games encourage attention development, initiating comments, and giving and receiving instructions. (DB)

The review of the literature on aided communication illustrates the differences between "aided" and "normal" communication and outlines an intervention strategy which aims to modify the behavior of both interactive partners. (DB)

The paper describes a software system which uses microcomputers to aid in the assessment of functional vision in visually impaired students. The software also aims to be visually stimulating and to develop hand-eye coordination, visual memory, and cognitive abilities. (DB)

The article relates the British PrIME (Primary Initiatives in Mathematical Education) Project to children with special educational needs doing mathematics. The project's main aim is to improve the mathematical understanding and teaching skills of primary teachers. Activities using calculators are described. (DB)

The article describes the whole school approach to special education provision in British primary schools. Schools are encouraged to develop a policy document covering such aspects as general aims, staff roles, assessment and record keeping, curriculum, working with parents, staff development, and policy review. (DB)

The paper reviews a decade's efforts to influence Pakistan's disability policies towards greater involvement of existing community resources, rather than heavy government investment in institutional development. Differences between progressive Western views and pragmatic Third World planners are described. An information systems approach is…

The study found that 74 seventh- and eighth-grade students with either high or moderate contact with hearing impaired students expressed more positive attitudes toward deafness than students who had no contact with the hearing impaired. A similar pattern was found when attitudes toward disabilities in general were evaluated. (DB)

The paper analyzes the legal, fiscal, and organizational differences and similarities in special educational services in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Noted are the decreased role of the courts in Australia and New Zealand and provision of all education funding by the state in Australia and New Zealand. (DB)

Meta analysis of 273 investigations concerned with the modification of attitudes toward persons with disabilities revealed equivocal results possibly due to methodological deficiencies (study quality ratings were low) or to the complexity of human attitudes. (Author/DB)

The article examines trends in statistical data and educational policies in Israel since 1948 toward students with handicaps. Considered are relevant legislation and procedures, the special education population in 1985/6, and the role of the family, community, and society. (DB)

The article describes the assessment procedure (statementing) to identify and plan for children with special educational needs in England and Wales as required by the Education Act of 1981 and the Education (Special Educational Needs) Regulations of 1983. The increased responsibilities of Local Education Authorities are outlined. (Author/DB)

Similarities in special education services in the five Scandinavian countries include their normalization philosophy and cooperative policy development. Among unique Scandinavian innovations are camp schools, folk high schools, toy libraries (lekoteks), therapeutic communities or collectives for young substance abuses, and measures to combat…

The reinforcing characteristics of bonus feedback were investigated, as 130 children from both regular and resource classrooms in grades two-four were taught time-telling using a microcomputer-controlled videodisc system. No significant differences were found among five feedback conditions used, indicating that bonus feedback had little positive…