"Special Education for Young Learners with Disabilities" brings together leaders in the field of young children with disabilities, to present their ideas and research on different disability topics. Beginning with an introduction to the topic, the remaining chapters include discussions on learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral…

This study, involving 118 adolescents and adults with deafness, found a high level of concurrent criterion validity for the National Independent Living Skills (NILS) Screening Instrument. The study concluded that the NILS is a valid tool for assessing independent living skills of persons age 16 and older with a hearing impairment and possible…

This study examined the relationship between the level of self-stimulation and the rate of correct task-related responses in 2 multiply disabled (severely retarded, deaf and visually impaired) individuals (ages 16 and 12). Findings suggested that self-stimulation does not always need to be suppressed to promote adaptive responding. (DB)

Two adults with severe mental retardation and profound hearing loss were given computer-based instruction in spelling. Positive results transferred to a retrieval task in which the participant wrote a list of objects displayed, selected the objects from a shelf, and returned the objects to the table. The role of stimulus class in fostering the…

A national survey of 173 teachers of deaf and hard-of-hearing students with mild additional disabilities found a higher incidence of dysfunctional family background in these students than among deaf and hard-of-hearing students in general. Implications for teacher preparation and service delivery are drawn. (DB)

Of particular concern to educational psychologists when assessing hearing-impaired children is the identification of learning difficulties in addition to deafness which might hinder progress with language development. This study sought to replicate research which showed that some deaf children who have difficulty with fine motor movements and body…

Special education is now an established part of public education in the United States--by law and by custom. However, it is still widely misunderstood and continues to be dogged by controversies related to such things as categorization, grouping, assessment, placement, funding, instruction, and a variety of legal issues. The purpose of this…