Rehabilitation professionals working with students with disabilities and the families of those students face unique challenges in providing inclusive services to special education student populations. There needs to be a focus on adaptive teaching methods that provide quality experience for students with varying disabilities to promote student…

The pursuit of higher education has become increasingly popular among students of many different backgrounds and cultures. As these students embark on higher learning, it is imperative for educators and universities to be culturally sensitive to their differing individualities. "Student Culture and Identity in Higher Education" is an…

This study compared attitudes toward disability of 148 Arab and 124 Jewish high school students in Israel. Results found a significant effect of cultural affiliation with Jewish youth expressing more positive attitudes than their Arab counterparts. Findings were related to possible differences in psychodynamic processes motivating attitudes in the…

Two articles explore possibilities for collaboration between American and Asian researchers addressing disabilities in a worldwide context. The first article, by Mike Miles, is titled "Using Action-Oriented Disability Studies in Pakistan." It focuses on how information can be disseminated in informal, nontraditional (non-Western) ways.…

This study examined sociocultural variables and attitudes toward work, in conjunction with a vocational rehabilitation program for Navajos with disabilities. Findings indicated that, in general, the more "acculturated" the Navajo client, the better the client's level of motivation for vocational rehabilitation services. Differing cultural…

This paper reviews how sociocultural theory conceptualizes teaching and learning, fundamental constructs of the theory and methodology, and basic guidelines for discourse analysis. It applies these concepts to three research areas: the social construction of disability, contingent instruction between adults and learners, and miscommunication…

A Japanese translation of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale was used with 167 developmentally disabled children under age 16. Total score demonstrated a satisfactory level of taxonomic validity and discriminated infantile autism and other pervasive developmental disorders from mental retardation alone. A satisfactory concurrent validity on the…

The study evaluated the psychometric properties of reliability and construct validity of the Attitude Toward Mainstreaming Scale (ATMS) in an Australian context. It was concluded that the scale is both reliable and factorially valid in an Australian context. (Author/DB)

This directory provides abstracts of 236 current research projects funded by the Division of Innovation and Development, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Abstracts are grouped into the following 10 topical sections: (1) assessment and evaluation; (2) cultural differences; (3) infants, young children, and…

Family-school partnerships are increasingly touted as a means of improving both student and school improvement. This recognition has led to an increase in policies and initiatives that offer the following benefits: improved communication between parents and educators; home and school goals that are mutually supportive and shared; better…

This paper provides information concerning preschool narrative development in typically developing North American children, stressing previously documented links between early narrative skills and literacy development. Methods are provided for assessing narrative skills of language-impaired children. The methods involve eliciting from the children…

Contends that it is important to eliminate negative attitudes and discriminatory behavior toward children and adults with disabilities. Reports on a study of the effect of a unit on the history of treatment of persons with disabilities on 142 nondisabled students enrolled in 7 10th-grade social studies classes. (CFR)

This study investigated whether the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Revised (DIAL-R) norms, established with American children, are applicable to a Canadian population. Based on an early childhood model which incorporates ecological validity as well as predictive validity, the DIAL-R assesses three areas: motor, concepts…

This publication presents seven articles concerned with the education of students with disabilities or special talents who also have cultural or linguistic differences. Section 1 contains the following four articles: (1) "Code Switching: A Bridge or Barrier between Two Languages?" (Alejandro Brice and Linda I. Rosa-Lugo); (2) "Resistance Theories:…

This article discusses cultural and linguistic biases and distortions present in standardized tests and offers explanations and suggestions on modifying or eliminating them. Key cultural concepts and linguistic differences are described to assist evaluators in assessing East Asian students appropriately and fairly. Several commonly used tests are…