The results from four early intervention evaluation studies are described in relationship to their impact on parent-child interaction. Intervention effects on child development were unlikely to occur unless mothers modified their style of interacting. Only their level of responsiveness was associated with positive developmental outcomes.…

Describes six programs: special-needs instructional support services, Lakeshore Technical College, Wisconsin; services for deaf and hard of hearing, Hinds Community College, Mississippi; program accessibility committee, Florence-Darlington Technical College, South Carolina; Project ABLE, Metropolitan Community College, Missouri; Center for Special…

Examined whether early intervention programs aimed at promoting the attainments of children with disabilities change the nature of the parent-child interaction. Finds that mothers adjust their vocal patterns when interacting with disabled children based on the nature of the interaction and age of the child. Notes implications for intervention…

Activities of Project OATS (Outcomes of Assistive Technology in the Schools) are described, including identification and piloting of existing assessment instruments for use as an outcome measure, examining the validity of the School Function Assessment, and field testing the School Function Assessment-Assistive Technology Version, an adaptation of…

A study investigated spell check programs to determine how they differ in producing target words in the first position in the replacement list for misspellings generated by 111 students with learning disabilities in grades 3-8. Overall, the spell checkers were ineffective in producing target words first in the replacement list. (Contains…

A study investigated the responses of 22 high school students with learning disabilities to an intervention intended to promote self-realization. Activities were embedded within the general English curriculum. Through the intervention, students acquired information that helped them make sense of their school experiences, redefine themselves, and…

This article describes the Good Student Game, a classroom management tool that uses a game format to help students monitor appropriate classroom behavior such as staying seated and working quietly. It provides recommendations for playing the game and results from three classrooms demonstrating the effectiveness of the game. (Contains references.)…

A study of four bilingual special education settings found teachers chose different approaches for teaching writing: interactive journals, Optimal Learning Environment (OLE), Writer's Workshop, and a combination of journal writing, brainstorming-planning, and spelling practice. One year later, only participants in OLE demonstrated significant…

Case studies in the National Camp Evaluation Project and National Inclusive Camp Practices project used interviews with counselors and parents about camper's growth to yield qualitative data for camp program evaluation. The importance, methods, and benefits of case studies are described. Sidebars give examples of comments on perceived camper…

Conjoint behavioral consultation is a structured indirect form of service delivery in which parents, teachers, and other support staff are joined to work together to address the academic, social, or behavioral needs of an individual for whom all parties bear some responsibility. Presents outcome data from four years of projects in the area of…

This study evaluated use of a token reinforcement program to reduce three inappropriate behaviors of an elementary student with learning disabilities. Results indicated that awarding tokens for the absence of the target behaviors was effective. Practical aspects of the token program, as well as difficulties of employing data collection in an…

Purpose: This article describes, and provides data on, an innovative, comprehensive, dementia-specific training program designed to teach direct care staff in assisted living residences to improve care and reduce problems in residents with dementia. Design and Methods: STAR--which stands for Staff Training in Assisted living Residences- provides…

We trained parents to conduct functional analyses (n = 25) and functional communication training (n = 23) in home settings over a four-year period with 25 young children who had developmental and behavioural disorders. For 12 of the children, pre-treatment (baseline) probes and post-treatment stimulus condition probes were conducted to assess…

Peer-mediated approaches have been used for years to improve the academic behaviors of students, especially those with disabilities. The most systematized and well researched of the peer-mediated approaches relates to peer tutoring systems, which include specific elements of training, implementation, and evaluation. The purpose of this article is…

Children and adolescents with emotional disturbance (ED) exhibit chronic and diverse academic, emotional, behavioral, and/or medical difficulties that pose significant challenges for their education and treatment in schools. Historically, children with ED have received fragmented inadequate interventions and services that often yielded unfavorable…