The 2000-2001 annual report of Minnesota's PACER (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights) Center, a statewide organization that provides information, training, and assistance to parents of children and youth with disabilities, reports on 24 programs in three categories: parent training (12 programs); programs for students and…

At the Temple University Center for Research in Human Development and Education, Pennsylvania's largest independent multidisciplinary evaluation program, approximately 300 preschool aged children are evaluated annually to determine developmental performance in the areas of cognition, speech-language, gross and fine motor skills, social-emotional…

An in-service model for mainstreaming mildly handicapped children is described which combines competitive, accommodative, and problem solving approaches. (CL)

Children (N=45) identified as learning disabled were rated by teachers on academic progress and personal-social adjustment using the Myklebust Pupil Rating Scale. Student attitude toward school was assessed using the Describe Your School inventory. Learning disabled students receiving special programming were rated significantly better than…

This article describes the Interagency Planning and Support Project, which aimed to improve coordination among agencies serving young children with disabilities and their families by integrating disparate service documents and planning processes. Analysis of Collaborative Support Plan data on 34 families shows the approach was successful in…

The role of archival data in planning intervention priorities is examined and efficacy research focusing on the three types of positive behavioral support (PBS) is evaluated: schoolwide (universal), specific setting, and individual student levels. Overall, findings were positive across all types of PBS, validating implementation of these…

Explores several topics related to advocating for students with emotional and behavioral disorders, including the role of teachers. Various misdirected advocacy positions are critiqued and a new advocacy agenda proposed that focuses on program appropriateness, qualified personnel, least restrictive environment, and meaningful classification and…

The successes and failures of a private school's three-year computer integration program for secondary students with learning disabilities are examined. Problems ranged from lack of direction, support, and leadership from the administration to the lack of funds for maintenance and development. (Author/JDD)

Comparison of two groups of parents of children with severe disabilities found that the group receiving intensive intervention (including stress management and parenting skills training, support groups, and community-based respite care) showed less anxiety and depression, with large treatment effects observed for both fathers and mothers.…

Follow-up testing of 110 children with cognitive and/or language delays who had participated (when ages 3-7) in early intervention programs based on either direct instruction or mediated learning principles found few differential effects by the second year post-intervention, though the overall benefits of early intervention appeared to continue.…

Nine teachers in programs serving school-aged children or adults with severe disabilities received training on applying rules in data-based instructional decisions. After one-two years of implementation, the teachers' decision making and the effect of these decisions on student progress were evaluated. Some support was found for the benefit of…

Despite the growing momentum of the special education consultation movement, data indicate that in practice special educators spend very little time in a consulting role. The article examines the emergence of the consulting movement and barriers impeding the integration of consultation into the role of the special educator. (Author/JW)

A program was implemented in Oregon to screen infants at risk for hearing impairment, based on a birth certificate question concerning family history of hearing loss and subsequent parent notification of the need to have the infant's hearing tested. Preliminary results concerning efficacy of the program are reported. (JDD)