Gives the classroom teacher guidelines which may help in recognizing the child with a hearing problem and lists a few techniques for accommodating the hard of hearing child in the regular classroom. (SJL)

An assessment model is presented that provides a framework for the evaluation of young handicapped children and their families. The theoretical base of interactionism and role modeling along with the application of the diagnostic-prescriptive method provide the basis for the approach. (Author)

The article comments on a financial-service dilemma confronting school administrators who are required under provisions of P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, to provide a free, appropriate education for all handicapped pupils despite potentially inadequate excess cost reimbursements. (Author/CL)

In the Soviet Union, handicapped students are identified earlier than in this country and then are placed in special schools where they are taught with students with similar disabilities. (IRT)

Four hundred eighty-six preschool children were screened with the Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) and the Preschool Language Scale (PLS). Children who failed the screening were referred for a formal language assessment. Results indicated that the DDST is slightly more effective than the PLS in identifying preschool children who need…

A prekindergarten screening program using a team consisting of two kindergarten teachers, a school psychologist, a speech/language therapist, a nurse, and an occupational therapist/special education teacher for the identification of "high risk" children is described. (PHR)

An Australian study investigated the cognitive functioning profiles of 32 individuals with Fragile X compared to those of 8 children with Down syndrome. Individuals with Fragile X scored significantly lower on sequential processing measures than on simultaneous processing. This difference was not evident for the group with Down syndrome.…

A study of the development of epilepsy in adolescents with autism investigated the brain dysfunctions in 158 patients (ages 15-28) with autism through the examination of paroxysmal electroencephalographic abnormalities. Results indicated that 47.5% of the individuals with autism had such abnormalities in the frontal region. (CR)

Children (n=132), ages 1-16, were diagnosed for autism using the criteria in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Autistic Behavior Checklist, and third and fourth editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Agreement of the DSM-IV and ICD-10 with the other…

A Japanese study measured CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) levels of beta-endorphin in 19 children (ages 4-6) with infantile autism and in 3 children (ages 10-14) with Rett syndrome. In infantile autism, levels did not differ significantly from control participants (n=23). However, levels were significantly higher in those with Rett syndrome. (Author/CR)

A study examined 391 adult referrals to a mental health clinic serving individuals with mental retardation to explore the relationship between referral source and referral reason. Externalizing behaviors were found to be the most common referral reason; however, referral reason did vary as a function of referral source. (Author/CR)

This population study of eight California birth cohorts (1987-1994) examined the degree to which improvements in detection and changes in diagnosis contribute to the observed increase in autism prevalence from 5.8 to 14.9 per 10,000. A decreasing prevalence of mental retardation without autism suggests that improvements in detection and changes in…

Comparison of community children referred for learning disability evaluation (CR, n=17) with children not-referred in community general education (CGE, n=161), community special education (CSE, n=30), or from outpatient hospital referrals (HR). CR group performance was equivalent to that of CSE and HR groups. Results suggest conceptualizing…

Investigates how disability is discovered, constructed, and performed in a certain type of cultural practice, that is, in a postmodern, undergraduate college classroom. Argues that the implementation of an autobiographical pedagogy must extend beyond the dimensions of race, gender, and sexuality and must include disabled persons in these…

The scores of 15 children (ages 5-10) with learning disabilities on the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills and the Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration revealed that visual perception and visual motor skills are separate, though related, functions and that visual motor scores were significantly lower than visual perception scores. (JDD)