Described is the sequence of topics, learning activities, materials and demonstrations for the course. It is stressed that students can learn these skills in less than 30 hours of instruction. (CW)

The search for valid measures of giftedness has resulted in confused and complicated procedures which leave classroom teachers feeling divorced from the process. A need exists for an operational relationship between ability identification and programing and for classroom teachers to be aware of and involved in the process of identification. (JDD)

Cognitive-communicative intervention with children and adults with head injuries should emphasize such aspects of cognitive functioning as the knowledge base and the executive system. Assessment and intervention should focus on realistic goal setting, planning, self-directing and initiating, self-inhibiting, self-monitoring, self-evaluating,…

Discussed are case studies of four early childhood special education programs, selected to represent a variety of approaches to early childhood special education decision-making and a variety of settings. The case studies focus on issues in diagnostic assessment and are used as the basis for assessment guidelines. (Author/MSE)

This paper discusses applications of intelligence tests in schools, considering Binet's original warnings that his tests were primarily useful for identifying students needing intervention and inappropriate for classifying normal students. American applications of Binet's work for ranking are seen as stages of shifting from remedial to custodial…

This study organizes items from seven behavior rating instruments into as few behavior clusters as possible. Methods used include card sort activities and a panel of experts examining items to establish their subgroup placement. Findings indicate a method for organizing behavior descriptors into clearly defined subgroupings and unifying behavior…

Teachers of gifted children read a descriptive vignette of a hypothetical gifted student and rated their willingness to refer the student for gifted program placement. Results showed that the 197 teachers were influenced by the presence of the educational label "learning disabled" and by the social class of the student. (Author/JDD)

Suggests that the aesthetic positions James Joyce expresses in his work have an independent intellectual value in understanding gifted childrens' aesthetic development. Discusses and critiques Joyce's theory on the psychology and philosophy of the artist. (KM)

A group of covariance structure models was examined to ascertain the similarity between conventionally administered and computerized adaptive versions of the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT). Results for 332 students indicate that the computerized version of the DAT is an adequate representation of the conventional test battery. (TJH)

Diagnostic procedures aimed at labeling, selection, and placement in special schools for children designated in Germany as learning handicapped are compared with support and intervention-oriented strategies. Construction and administration of alternative diagnostic instruments and approaches such as inventories and surveys are examined.…

This paper offers a critical examination of common misconceptions concerning college students with learning disabilities (LD), including, among others: LD college students are older versions of high school LD students, college entrance data can accurately predict LD student success, and LD students disclose their handicaps to institutions of…

The paper compares current practices of identifying students with special educational needs in Australia and Scotland. Noted are problems generated by the abandonment of a category-based approach to such children. Australian and Scottish practice are also compared to United States' experience in light of Public Law 94-142. (Author/DB)

A case study of a hearing-impaired 7-year-old Hmong boy illustrates the complex process involved in identifying a limited English speaking child's learning, speech, language, and hearing disabilities. The process requires uncovering past experiences and evaluating environmental and cultural factors. The history and culture of the Hmong people are…

Traces the author's experiences in a Eurocentric graduate training program relative to institutional pressures, cultural conflict, interactionism, and U.S. racism. Concludes that experiences caused an intellectual shift to viewpoint of a marginal Black sociologist who focuses upon the experiences and history of persons of African descent in the…

The study assessed the utility of different factor structures of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised in differentiating Israeli male students (ages 6-16) with learning disability from children with emotional disturbance. Based on several comparisons the results indicated that only the modified A.S. Kaufman's factor structure…