The article discusses the need for a developmental curriculum that covers the steps toward vocational readiness for visually/multihandicapped students, and outlines one such curriculum presently being field-tested in four Texas school districts. Worksheets, checklists, and tables illustrate aspects of the five-point curriculum. (Author/CL)

Annual program plans for residents written prior to and following the implementation of the IPP (Individual Program Planning) system were rated to determine the extent of changes that resulted. More departments attended meetings, stated objectives, described intervention plans and evaluation procedures for proposed objectives, and reported…

Giles de La Tourette disease (TD) is characterized by multiform changing vocal and motor tics with a wide range of accompanying behavioral symptoms. The range of tics and behavioral problems seen in TD is described along with a typcial case report in a multiply disabled child. Diagnostic criteria, and treatment recommendations are also given.…

In Study 1 the aggressive behavior of a deaf/blind adolescent was eliminated through a differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) procedure combined with a reinforcer cueing technique and brief time-out. In Study 2 DRO reduced stereotypic eye-pressing by a young blind hearing-impaired child. (Author/CL)

Compared to nonreactive toys (ones without or with restricted sensory feedback), reactive toys had a substantially greater influence on the amount of time each of three severely disabled children (6-9 years old) spent in manipulative activity. Comparative effects of two toy classes on visual attention to toy play were inconclusive. (CL)

Guidelines are offered for encouraging positive and predictive classroom behaviors from emotionally disturbed/hearing impaired students. Four suggestions are discussed: rewarding desired behavior, allowing students to decide, observing from other viewpoints, and setting written goals. (CL)

Deinstitutionalization, now government policy in British Columbia, may signal the return of formerly institutionalized persons (including those with severe/profound retardation and multiple disabilities) to their communities. Possible problems may include community resistance and inadequacy or inappropriateness of existing services. (CL)

Evaluation of Play Unit for the Severely Handicaped (PUSH) designed for the living room of a residential area used by 16 severely retarded multiply handicapped persons revealed that the impact of the unit was individualized and diverse, and that the responsiveness of the environemt's components appeared to be important. (CL)

A multiple baseline-across behaviors design was employed to assess the efficacy of a self-control procedure in eliminating three stereotypic behaviors of a 15-year-old behaviorally disordered, deaf, institutionalized student. The self-control procedure eliminated two of the three target behaviors and significantly reduced the rate of the third.…

Student preference of sensory reinforcers was investigated using three mentally retarded, multiply physically disabled males (four-seven years old). Results suggest that severely disabled students have individualized preferences for various sensory reinforcers. (Author/CL)

The case study demonstrates the use of negative reinforcement for initial response conditioning of a seven-year-old deaf, blind, physically handicapped boy. A systematic procedure for reinforcer sampling failed to identify items for positive reinforcers. A procedure for removal of an aversive stimulus (negative reinforcement) was then successfully…

Discussed by a man with cerebral palsy complicated by deafness is his personal perspective on the multiple disability, the education of deaf and cerebral palsied children, and independent living skills in the deaf cerebral palsied adolescent and adult. (DB)

Essentially, videotape helps the teacher learn about herself, her children, her methods and the larger dynamics of her total group or class. (Authors)