Offers a rationale for social skills instruction and integration for students with, or at risk for, learning and behavior problems. It examines the social skills needed in various settings and describes a three-step process for integrating academic content with social skill development. (DB)

Discusses the use of a consultative therapy model to provide physical and occupational therapy services in the schools, including standards for selecting this approach, preparation for teachers and therapists implementing the model, communication between teachers and therapists, and the need to supplement teachers' time for motor programming with…

This article describes a social skills instructional framework, with examples of its use in inclusive and diverse classrooms. The framework has three phases: (1) defining the social skill to be taught; (2) implementing instruction; and (3) moving to self-control. Also provided are guidelines for performance-based assessment of social skills. (DB)

This article discusses principles of cognitive elaboration which can help students retain and recall information. Eleven elaborative methods are described, including transformational and situational methods at the microlevel and generality and general-to-detailed methods at the macrolevel. Implications for teachers working with students with…

This article explains the combination of instructional practices called personalized contextual instruction (PCI) and illustrates its implementation by a general education teacher, a special education teacher, and a paraprofessional working together in a multiage primary inclusive classroom. The PCI approach incorporates individual learning…

This article provides a guide for planning field trips for educational engagement of all children in early childhood education settings. Based on interviews, environmental assessments, and evaluations of activities, it includes field trip considerations and a field trip planning guide that includes the teacher, the parents, and the field site…

This article examines peer intervention as a strategy for modifying disruptive behavior in inclusive classrooms, focusing on the method known as peer confrontation. A vignette of this method's application to reduce the incidence of verbal abuse in a regular classroom is provided, and implications of peer mediation for inclusive schooling are…

This article describes ClassWide Peer Tutoring (CWPT) as an option for heterogeneous instruction and discusses roles for teachers and students in CWPT programs. Achievement and attitude data for three classrooms of high-achievers, average students, and students with mild disabilities or high-risk factors are provided, documenting significant gains…

A traditional view of social skills instruction, which is antithetical to promoting children's social development, is presented. Three explanations of social development are then outlined within the context of social integration of students with disabilities. Recommendations for general educators to promote children's social skills are offered,…

Discussion of the assessment of students with disabilities receiving services in inclusive settings focuses on assessing for updating the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and for guiding instruction. It considers the use of norm-referenced assessment, informal assessment, assessment for instruction, teacher observation and listening skills,…

Twenty-six suggestions for setting up a class environment in which children with learning or behavior problems can develop friendships are presented, including integrating friendship into the curriculum, teaching necessary social skills, structuring successful recess and lunch periods, honoring children's friendships in placement decisions, and…

This article explains minimal hearing loss in children and implications for the regular classroom setting. It describes audiograms and discusses developmental effects of minimal hearing loss, identification of minimal hearing loss, intervention, environmental modifications, and teacher strategies. Emphasis is on accommodations that can be provided…

This article first discusses the characteristics of students who are learning English as a second language and of students with disabilities that affect academic achievement. Then it describes strategies for use in the general education classroom including: (1) developing listener-friendly lectures, (2) adapting textbooks, (3) adapting…