Background: Within the context of the Special Interest Research Group (SIRG) on Persons with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities (PIMD), researchers often discuss the methodological problems and challenges they are confronted with. The aim of the current article was to give an overview of these challenges. Methods: The challenges are…

Participation is the goal of Swedish disability policy, but it is difficult to achieve for adults with profound intellectual (and multiple) disabilities (PI(M)D). Since these adults are dependent on others in every aspect of their lives, others control their ability to participate in everyday life decisions. This study used observations, analyzed…

Project SASI (Students with Autism and Sensory Impairments) tested the use of community engagement strategies to increase recruitment of professionals working with students with sensory impairments in rural and remote communities to address personnel shortages in these areas. The project was based on the intersection of high-impact strategies for…

Background: Research shows that up to 43% of disability support workers (DSWs) report poor psychosocial work outcomes (e.g., stress, job burnout, low job satisfaction). This study examined whether the job demand-control-(support) model offers a valid explanation of DSW burnout and work engagement. Method: 325 DSWs completed online measures of…

This paper provides a descriptive narrative on some recent research processes and outcomes in general classrooms in Australia that include students with multiple and severe disability. A mentor-model approach to professional development for the teaching staff was employed and this paper outlines what happened, along with some of the specific needs…

Multidisciplinary collaboration is considered to be very important for the education of pupils with special educational needs and particularly those pupils with the most severe disabilities. This research adopts a multiple case-study design in order to understand collaboration and the integration of services and the effectiveness of these among…

Approaches to identifying, classifying, and placing multiply handicapped hearing impaired students are reviewed, and a model is described in which five factors differentiate among students: instructional objectives, environment, rate, methodology, and staffing. (CL)

A two-year project at the University of Manchester (England) is investigating the leisure opportunities available to people who are profoundly retarded and multiply impaired. The project is conducting an international literature review, identifying models of good practice within the European community, and disseminating information through reports…

The paper describes an interactive evaluation process based on E. Brown's transactional evaluation model, and its application to evaluating programs serving children with severe and multiple disabilities or other low incidence populations. The model emphasizes the first part of the assessment process, determining which questions to ask and what…

The paper presents an intervention framework for the management of communication disorders in learning disabled children. The model is comprised of three components: communicative intentions, presupposition, and the social organization of discourse. Resulting instructional guidelines and principles are offered. (Author/DB)

The collection of papers by Swedish special educators, addresses approaches to helping mentally retarded and multiply handicapped people communicate. The papers are written by psychologists, educators, speech therapists, music instructors, and researchers and focus on the following topics: the context of communication (Mats Granlund), early…

Information on the model for alternate strategies to prepare teachers of preschool multiply handicapped children is excerpted from the original proposal. The development of the preparation model is noted to depend on successful completion of three processes: needs identification, transformation to a program, and evaluation. The project's second…

The paper describes a model of services for 38 infants and young children whose primary handicap was a communication disorder or for whom a communication disorder was a related problem. Data indicated that the model was effective in producing child growth in receptive and expressive language, as well as other developmental areas. (Author/CL)

The CARES project (Coordinated Ambulatory Rehabilitation Evaluation Services) presents a model to provide multidisciplinary services for multiply disabled children in rural settings. Background, information about model components, and descriptive data are presented to illustrate project evolution and operation. Nearly 400 children with multiple…

The authors describe a model for integrating multimodal assessments and intervention to meet the complex problems of multiply disabled children. An outline and guide for transdisciplinary team management is presented and discussed. (Author/CL)