Available resources and indicators of high quality inclusive practices are presented in this compilation. Assembling many different resources in one place allows for easy comparison of potential indicators of quality. Excerpts and adaptations of the resources are intended to provide some familiarity with the content of each resource and encourage…

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)

Over the past several years, a number of new programs, policies, and initiatives designed to promote the employment of people with disabilities have been implemented by state and federal agencies, and are being evaluated to greater and lesser degrees. The purpose of this report is to provide a review of the recent evaluation activities being…

Nine studies reporting child change data for nonhandicapped children participating in integrated preschool settings were analyzed in terms of methodology and specific classroom practices. The studies suffered from methodological weaknesses common to many early intervention efficacy studies. Documentation of child progress is only one measure of…

This paper reacts to testimony on early childhood special education research before the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education (EC 632 080). It notes the real technical and practical difficulties of developing valid assessments and research on the effectiveness of interventions. It urges greater attention to identifying…

The 1987-88 annual report reviews progress on 17 longitudinal studies to determine the efficacy of early intervention with handicapped children. The overview chapter reviews previous research on this topic; considers ethical, practical, and scientific considerations of randomized experiments in early childhood special education; examines benefits…

Three frequently used procedures for analyzing developmental outcomes (developmental age, developmental quotient, and prediction indices) were compared using data from an early intervention program for 29 handicapped children (birth to age three). The procedures led to different conclusions regarding program effectiveness. Alternative measures of…

Findings from a national study of early intervention programs and toy libraries for handicapped children in Australia are summarized. After an introduction to theoretical concerns, chapter 2 reviews the rationale for early intervention and describes research on components of exemplary programs and on evaluation of the effectiveness of early…

This article first outlines the logic of null hypothesis testing and the problems of using it to evaluate special education research. It then presents three alternative metrics, a binomial effect size display, a relative risk ratio, and an odds ratio, that can better identify important treatment effects using illustrative data from recently…

This paper encourages the use of multiple logistic analysis in early intervention research, to assess the degree of association of multiple factors (such as subject or situational characteristics) with a dichotomous outcome (such as benefitting or not benefitting from an intervention) and to estimate the probability of each outcome. (JDD)

This study sought to assess the social validity of teacher and parent implemented assessment-based intervention for challenging behaviour in young children. The Behavior Intervention Rating Scale was completed by adults at the end of intervention for each participant. Overall ratings were high for both intervention acceptability and intervention…

Mixed methods research has increased in popularity over the past 20 years. Literature reveals that exploratory qualitative analysis followed by confirmatory survey research is common and concurrent studies outnumber longitudinal design. Longitudinal studies using quantitative and qualitative methods in sequence for exploratory purposes are rare,…

This review examined the literature on peer tutoring in reading with students with disabilities, using the methodology of best evidence synthesis. This approach combines positive aspects of meta analysis with traditional integrative review procedures. It requires all studies reviewed to meet stringent a priori standards. Analysis of the 11 studies…

The Eco-Behavioral System for the Complex Assessment of Preschool Environments (ESCAPE) has been developed for the evaluation of preschool environments by way of the interactions of students with such aspects of the classroom ecology as activities, materials, and grouping configurations, as well as teacher behaviors. The system follows a momentary…

An historical analysis of early intervention efficacy research documents the need for longitudinal studies of early intervention with handicapped children. Sixteen such studies were recently funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The article describes the issues they will address, discusses their design characteristics, and summarizes their…