"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…

The general education curriculum comprises more than just the academic courses students take. The wide range of extracurricular clubs, sports teams, performing arts programs, student government positions, career development activities, service-learning projects, and other school-sponsored activities offered in middle and high schools provide a…

Because of what are perceived by some as potential challenges it is still commonplace for research to fail to seek the opinions of pupils with multiple and complex needs. While many such pupils do have significant communication difficulties, along with other disabilities, which are undoubtedly a constraint, it is crucial in order to be inclusive,…

Administrators of agencies serving the blind have the responsibility for their staffs serve multiply handicapped clients. Administrators set the tone of the agency. On a practical level, they can use personnel practices, staff development resources, and case management techniques to ensure implementation of sound, individualized service to…

Postsecondary services should be planned for three groups of multihandicapped deaf students: those needing independent living skills, those seeking direct occupational preparation, and those seeking and able to profit from an academic program. Seven guidelines are suggested for program planning and delivery. (Author)

A teacher of children with multiple disabilities reviews an adaptation of the "Conflict Cycle" designed to help children understand their conflicts through concrete manipulation of cards involving visual, auditory, and tactile modalities. (CL)

The paper provides an overview of audiological terms and types of hearing impairments to help teachers of visually impaired preschoolers work more effectively with audiologists. Both functional auditory assessment and formal audiometric evaluations are discussed. (Author/CL)

The author recounts her experiences in serving as a resource person setting up a mainstreamed program for a seventh-grade girl with multiple disabilities. The need for inservice training so that all personnel involved are aware of the circumstances of the disabled student is stressed. (PHR)

Paraprofessionals are being employed to support special and regular educators in mainstreaming multihandicapped students. (Author/SBH)

Small-set segmental identification experiments were conducted with three deaf-blind subjects who were highly experienced users of the Tadoma method. Systematic variations in the positioning of the hand on the speaker's face for Tadoma produced systematic effects on percent-correct scores, information transfer, and perception of individual…

Children with mental retardation and multiple handicaps can effectively participate in play activities and games, but the experience must be structured for them. Techniques for organizing play activities involving handicapped and nonhandicapped children are offered. Examples of singles play, rotation play, and associative play are described. (JDD)

The paper describes vocational education approaches designed to prepare severely handicapped students for nonsheltered, meaningful work. Training is cumulative, beginning with early childhood training and continuing through middle school, high school, and transition stages. Ecological strategies are advocated to match characteristics of non-school…

The guide presents a non-technical approach to adapting battery-operated and electrical devices for persons with severe handicapping conditions. The material was developed through Project REACH (Reconstructive Equipment Adaptations for Children with Handicaps). Chapter 1 presents rationales for the use of adapted switches and devices, including…

An eight-step decision-making paradigm appropriate for guiding decisions regarding selection of instructional programming alternatives for visually impaired multiply disabled children is presented. Brief case studies illustrate the application of the paradigm. (Author/DB)

Specific program suggestions are provided to enable the speech-language pathologist to utilize the mealtime setting to integrate both vocal and nonvocal communicative objectives. The roots of interaction and communication which underly both vocal and nonvocal systems are described. (Author)