The purpose of this article is to critically review the literature on parent-implemented interventions aimed at promoting and enhancing the social and communicative behavior of young children with autism spectrum disorders. Twelve parent-implemented intervention studies that were conducted, at least in part, in home environments and were published…

Intergroup dialogue (IGD), the focus of this monograph, is one of several dialogue and deliberation practices currently being used on college and university campuses in the United States. The introductory chapter introduces IGD, its historical roots, its location among similar diversity education practices, and its core components. The subsequent…

Twenty-one students with autism, ages 6-20, were taught to use facilitated communication to unlock their ideas and communicate through typing. Facilitated communication involves physical and emotional support for typing or pointing at letters, helping students maintain focus, and fading physical support. Subjects revealed unexpected literacy and…

Children are dependent on professionals to find the ways in which the mysteries of interacting and conceptualizing in a new language can be unlocked. Child second language data and evidence concerning children's development suggest ways in which to accomplish that process. An elementary program in English as a second language (ESL) will be…

Describes professional training courses in foster care offered by the University of Montana Department of Social Work using a statewide telephone network and written programed instructional materials. Provides operational details of the teleconferencing program and reports results of a follow-up study with participant foster parents and social…

A study investigated the effectiveness of exit interviews as tools for reducing or predicting student loan delinquencies and found a relationship between repayment and completion of the exit interview. Interview completion was related to academic level and race. Type of exit interview (personal or mail) was not related to repayment delinquency.…

The importance of following prescribed principles in the implementation of an effective law-related education (LRE) program is emphasized. Based on research findings that law-related education is a delinquency-prevention technique, the fact sheet lists six prescriptions for providing effective law-related education programs: (1) the use of…

Mothers of 23 infants with developmental disabilities were given suggestions for ways to interact in a contingently responsive manner. Compared to a control group, the interaction coaching group mothers increased responsivity and decreased stimulation, and the infants were less fussy and performed better on developmental assessments. (Author/JDD)

A study investigated the effectiveness of a Salem-Teikyo University (West Virginia) program of English-as-a-Second-Language conversational tutoring for a cohort of 185 Japanese students and a similar but smaller Japanese-as-a-Second-Language tutoring program for the English-speaking cohort. Data were gathered through surveys of faculty (n=4),…

Practical and concise, this introductory guide is filled with real-world tips and strategies for anyone working to improve the communication of children with moderate, severe, and multiple disabilities. Emphasizing the link between behavior and communication, three respected researchers transform up-to-date research and proven best practices into…

This study of interactions between three severely withdrawn, autistic preschool children and six nonhandicapped peers found that peers can be effectively taught strategies to increase appropriate social behaviors of autistic classmates, and a group-oriented reinforcement contingency is an effective complement to teacher-prompted interventions and…

To illustrate the theoretical dynamics involved in analysis of the process of "metasensing," this paper investigates the language of 22 elementary school principals and their strategic actions during school improvement programs. The study's grounded theory approach frames the principals'"epistemology of practice"--thereby…

This book's aim is to define and clarify the issues involved in the education of deaf and hard of hearing children in local public schools, to bring to light the accumulating research in this area, and to recommend actions for organizing effective educational programs. The book offers a perspective on the current confusion in the field of deaf…

The role of the elementary school principal is critical in determining school effectiveness. This study analyzes the thinking and language of 22 "effective change" elementary school principals to discover common patterns in decisionmaking processes. The method of grounded theory delineates implicit theories principals use to make…

"Keeping Pace" has several goals. First, it strives to add to the body of knowledge about online education policy and make recommendations for advances. Second, it serves as a reference source for information about programs and policies across the country, for both policymakers and practitioners who are new to online education as well as those who…