A 9-year-old with multiple disabilities and visual impairments was the focus of a 10-week developmental therapeutic riding program incorporating hippotherapy. The program has led to increased mobility, an increase in visual attention span and fixation time, signs of greater verbal communication, and the acquisition of new functional signs.…

Intended for use by New York City special education teachers with little or no experience serving students with dual sensory impairments as well as cognitive disabilities, the manual identifies teaching strategies that are easy to implement yet based on direct experience and the current research. Chapter titles and sample topics include the…

The paper raises issues identified by a study of the content and context of the education provided 568 deaf-blind children and 1,123 students with other disabilities by 124 teachers across the country. Results of the questionnaire indicated that 75% of teachers were serving students in addition to the deaf-blind; that only 5% of the students were…

The final report describes the Comprehensive Communication Curriculum (CCC), a 4-year program involving the communication skills of severely and multiply handicapped students with very little spontaneous communication skills. The program was designed to teach the students appropriate easily learned responses for requesting objects and initiating…

Provided are guidelines for parents and teachers working with severely handicapped deaf blind children. Hearing, vision, and communication considerations are listed in the first section. Specific suggestions are outlined for developing the following skills: discipline, body movement, toilet training, eating, dressing, washing, and social…

The curriculum guide for early childhood education of the multiply handicapped covers motor, academic, and perceptual skills. Operational definitions and developmental characteristics of the mentally retarded introduce the guide. Considered are the role of the teacher and teacher's aide, the classroom facilities, and scheduling. A chapter on…

Presented is a procedure for design and implementation of a teaching system involving individual educational plans for multiply handicapped visually impaired children. (IM)

This article compares approaches to teaching children with special learning needs, especially those with severe multiple disabilities. It suggests that behavioral methods result in undesirable instructor control of learning and compares these methods with approaches of effective teachers which encourage student initiative and pupil control.…

How can educators and therapists best teach students with severe and multiple disabilities to communicate effectively? Developed by a highly respected expert, this practical guide has the comprehensive, research-based information professionals need to support students from preschool to high school as they learn and use communication skills. With a…

Originally part of a symposium on educational media for the deaf, the article describes the use of computer-assisted instruction to teach young deaf and multiply handicapped children. The microcomputer/videodisc interface is explained and the method of captioning the videodisc is discussed. Diagrams illustrate the process. (PHR)

The effects of analog language teaching and natural language teaching on language generalization and long-term retention in 23 adults with autism and severe/profound mental retardation were examined. Natural language teaching was found to have many strengths and few drawbacks and to produce equal generalization and retention under conditions…

A survey found a majority of 93 workshop participants used Nielsen's Little Room, an educational method involving placing a structure on a resonance board that acts like a drum and gives tactile and auditory feedback as the child with visual impairments interacts with objects in it and on the board. (Contains references.) (CR)

Published articles about assistive technology (AT) from 1980 through 2004 were reviewed to identify those that focused on infants and young children. A total of 104 articles about AT with infants and toddlers were identified, and of these, 23 reported practices for teaching switch activation (12), computer use (6), power mobility skills (4), or…

This guide describes the assistance that modern technology and microcomputers can provide for individuals with significant cognitive disabilities who frequently have secondary physical, communication, or sensory impairments. Applications of technology can be made to increase access to learning for these students in the areas of motor training,…

The guide for teachers of deaf blind children deals with visual functioning, evaluation, and instruction. An overview of the fundamentals of visual functioning in deaf blind children includes concepts basic to an understanding of the process. Assessment and evaluation of the child's visual functioning is discussed, and procedures for determining…