Reviews best practices for curricular design and instruction for students with moderate retardation and severe disabilities. Describes the benefits of alternate assessment practices such as portfolios and authentic assessment, and presents strategies for alternative assessment processes that can link best practice assumptions and can redirect…

This book describes transdisciplinary management of multiply disabled children with vision problems and presents four theoretical models of visual assessment and three illustrative case studies in a sequence appropriate to the learning process. The first three models are intended to lead to assessment and management of the child and the last to…

Camping Out is an outdoor education program designed to meet the needs of hearing-impaired, mentally retarded children. The program aims to help children overcome language deficits and restrictions of their limited environments while learning recreation skills which can enhance their motor, cognitive, and affective skills. The program covers seven…

Factors involved in evaluating multiply handicapped children are examined. Described are instruments and techniques for measuring three central concerns: (1) the extent to which the impairments limit the child's functioning (including the Test of Auditory Discrimination and the Children's Embedded Figures Test); (2) the child's ability to complete…

The parameters influencing the respiratory pattern at or near the threshold for hearing were studied in hearing impaired and normal hearing subjects. A semiautomatic system was designed to process the data. Results indicated that thresholds for pure tones could be estimated better on the inspiration phase of the breathing cycle and that duration…

This case assessment of a man with dual diagnosis (mental retardation and mental illness) exemplifies the use of recent psychological measures, computerized programs, and structured assessment, including the Reiss Screen for Maladaptive Behavior, the Psychopathology Inventory for Mentally Retarded Adults, the Apperceptive Personality Test, and the…

A study involving 114 educators of students with profound and multiple learning difficulties, interviews with 20 head teachers, and observation in four British schools, found student assessment was largely informal, Individualized Education Programs were often lacking in detail, and about one-third of teachers had no special education…

Existing instruments for assessing brain damaged physically handicapped children are examined, and research on test modifications in the cognitive, communication, and motor performance domains is reviewed. Noted is the lack of tests standardized on a physically handicapped population. Cautions and criticisms are cited for modifications which have…

This videotape explains common vision tests used with infants with multiple disabilities, shows how to gather information from parents on their children's use of vision, and demonstrates selected early intervention strategies for encouraging infants and young children with multiple disabilities to use their vision in functional ways. The videotape…

This paper addresses the special problems in assessment of pupils who are congenitally or prelingually deafblind and who may have other disabilities, and argues that nonintrusive instruments and procedures are the assessment tools of choice. It contends that not enough attention has been given to developing, validating, and applying assessment…

This manual describes the Wisconsin Sensorimotor Pointing Assessment (WSPA) for individuals with severe communication deficits complicated by other cognitive or motor disabilities, and provides guidelines for its administration. The WSPA was designed to quantify four categories of sensory and motor abilities necessary for initiating and accurately…

This paper presents a summary of best practices for communication assessment and intervention with individuals who are deaf/blind and have a severe intellectual impairment. Focus is on individuals who have difficulty both receiving and understanding auditory, visual, and tactual information. The impact of sensory losses on communicative…

This article discusses issues involved in psychological assessment of children with hearing loss who have additional disabilities or special needs. It provides recommendations for appropriate methods of assessment that accommodate the communication difficulties associated with hearing loss. This article includes assessment procedures for children…

Designed to assist in the selection of appropriate literacy media for students with visual impairments, this guide outlines the essential elements of learning media assessments. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the learning media assessment (LMA) process. Included is a discussion of Texas law and regulations that govern LMA. Chapter 2 documents…

This book is designed to help clinicians assess and treat children or adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder who also present other disabilities. Major comorbidities are described in depth and empirically grounded guidelines are presented for evaluation and treatment. Part 1 provides an overview of issues in comorbidity,…