First Years Together (FYT), a 3-year service and training demonstration project, provided services to 32 high risk or preterm babies and their parents in order to overcome the emotional and developmental effects of hospitalization and a worrisome start. Service was initiated shortly before each baby's discharge from the intensive care unit and…

The document is designed to provide practical information for teachers, parents, group home workers, work activity personnel, and others interested in developing social interaction skills and appropriate social behaviors in developmentally disabled adolescents and young adults. An introductory section discusses social problems of the…

Presented is a plan for evaluating Project KIDS (Kindling Individual Development Systems), a model program for developmentally delayed and physically handicapped infants, toddlers, preschool children, and their families. The KIDS program is described as providing services in a home-based training program, center-based infant stimulation classes,…

The two part presentation presents information on specific conditions of developmental delay and suggests intervention approaches. Three causes of mental retardation (Down's syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and cerebral palsy) are identified and described in terms of definition, incidence, characteristics, and educational implications. Part II is…

Educators, administrators, and service personnel who work with the developmentally disabled must define the aged developmentally disabled population. The term "developmental disability" refers to an individual with substantial developmental problems manifested during the first 22 years of life. Those who became disabled after age 22 are classified…

The report contains 15 papers given at a 1979 Australian conference on prevention and intervention with young children at risk of developmental and learning difficulties. Papers have the following titles and authors: "Prevention and Early Amelioration of Developmental and Learning Disabilities: Progress, Problems and Prospects" (W.…

The report examines the state of the art in personpower planning for developmental disabilities (DD) services. Part 1 is a review of the literature concerning personnel in the following fields: special educators, nurses, physicians, dentists, therapists, social workers, vocational rehabilitation counselors, speech pathologists/audiologists,…

A 1-year demonstration project involving 24 developmentally disabled students (9- to 20-years-old) with severe physical limitations was conducted to increase their educational and vocational possibilities by using cost-effective bio-engineering techniques to modify their physical environment and develop improved adaptive devices. Phase I of the…

Presented by the Master Planning Committee of the Colorado Department of Institutions and the Division of Developmental Disabilities is a behavior inventory of sequential skills in four areas basic to the normalization of developmentally disabled persons. Instructional objectives are listed in the following areas: physical, including perceptual…

Whole task training and graduated guidance were used to teach independent dressing skills to two developmentally disabled 4-year-olds. After the boys acquired basic dressing skills, additional practice (fluency training) elevated their performance to socially validated rates. Follow-up showed that the skills were maintained and generalized to…

Four interdisciplinary programs for the developmentally disabled are described: (1) a paraprofessional degree training program; (2) supported employment for institutionalized adults; (3) a service/research program in the area of communication technology and training for nonspeaking persons; and (4) a communication skills program for persons who…

A staff supervision and classroom management program to increase involvement in functional task activities (e.g., self-help, leisure, social/communication) was implemented in three classes serving 19 students (ages 11-36) with profound mental and physical handicaps. Large increases in functional task involvement and smaller increases in student…

This report is based upon a review of current Idaho policies, laws, regulations, and practices that have affected the lives of people with developmental disabilities, interviews with a sample of administrators and staff members representing government, voluntary agencies, self-advocacy groups, and provider agencies, and insights gained from…

Argues that computers and related technology can be an important asset in the classrooms of young children with disabilities. Suggests that this technology can promote mobility, communication, and learning; increase independence; augment abilities; compensate for learning challenges; overcome learned helplessness; and foster competence and…

This article outlines key components of a medical evaluation of a child who is not talking. Factors to consider during diagnosis and screening are discussed, including the presence of mental retardation, hearing impairments, autism, cerebral palsy, and other disorders. The physiology of speech/language disorders in children is also examined.…