A study compared the phonological abilities of 22 preschool children whose stuttering persisted and 62 who recovered. Those whose stuttering persisted had poorer mean scores on a number of phonological characteristics, including mean percentage of error, relative levels of severity of phonological impairments, and error on specific phonological…

A survey of 1,219 teachers providing instruction to students with disabilities (ages 14-21), found that a majority believed that instruction in self-determination was important, but teachers differed in their responses regarding the strategies taught and the extent and type of instruction provided based on the severity of the student's disability.…

The vocalizations and speech production of 20 infants with hearing impairments were examined at three age levels: between 5-13 months, 2-5 years, and 5-10 years. Degree of hearing loss had a significant and moderately strong relationship with speech outcome at the second and third age levels. (Contains extensive references.) (Author/CR)

Evaluates claims of the Early Intervention Project, an intensive behavioral intervention program for young children with autism. Claims include recovery from autism in 47% of cases and substantial improvement in an additional 42%. The article finds methodological problems affecting internal and external validity of the project's reported results.…

A survey of 43 early childhood special-education administrators in California found the programs for infants tended to be home-based, preschoolers with mild disabilities were frequently fully included, and preschoolers with severe disabilities and low-incidence disabilities were more often partially included or placed in special classes only.…

Interviews with 42 mothers with visual impairments found no significant relationship between the degree of impairment and amount of advance preparation for child care tasks, trial-and-error learning, or initial reactions to the pregnancy. Key concerns were children's safety, the extra time needed to accommodate the impairment, transportation, and…

A study investigated the relationship between depressive symptoms and social attributions in 33 adolescents with Asperger syndrome. Results revealed a significant positive relationship between depressive symptoms and ability attributions for social failure. The more intelligent the individual, the less social success was attributed to chance and…

Twenty individuals with mild retardation and 20 individuals with moderate retardation participated in simulated instruction and/or community training of four functional living tasks. Participants with mild retardation performed better on simulated tasks and in the community settings, however, in many situations, community training was sufficiently…

A study involving 3,920 individuals with mental retardation from 665 residential facilities found ownership, facility size, facility services, and location were factors associated with higher expenditures. Individuals with a greater number of activity of daily living limitations, developmental disabilities, and more severe mental retardation had…

Comparison of social initiations by 18 children with autism and 13 verbally matched children with mental retardation found autistic children's social initiations were more ritualized and the retarded children's were more playful. Autistic initiation to peers was unrelated to severity of autism, but was related to cognitive skills, whereas retarded…

Twelve nonambulatory adults with severe speech impairments associated with cerebral palsy were studied to examine the effects of aided-message length (single-word vs. phrase-generated messages) and partner feedback on perceptions of communicative competence while using an adult augmentative and alternative communication system. Results indicated…

A study of 151 parents of adolescents with severe disabilities found the adolescents primarily participated in family and home activities, with less frequent participation in school and community functions. Child characteristics and family variables influenced an adolescent's level of integration in home and community, with only child…

This study surveyed the states concerning discrepancies between federal and state counts of the number of students identified as visually impaired. States overwhelmingly reported higher state counts than federal counts. Major reasons suggested for the discrepancy are federal count exclusion of students with additional disabilities and of students…

A study compared symptoms of 54 adolescents attending a school for children with emotional and behavior disorders (EBD) and 107 students with EBD attending mainstream schools. Results indicated students attending schools for pupils with EBD are more likely to experience concurrent psychiatric disorders than their peers in mainstream schools.…

A study investigated whether age, gender, period from onset to treatment, and stuttering severity related to the required treatment time of 250 preschoolers who completed the Lidcombe Program. Data indicate that, for a short period after stuttering onset, a short delay in treatment did not appear to increase treatment time. (Contains references.)…