Many times, young people can make a significant impact on their communities. An example of this potential is evident in the Minnesota statewide youth program, in which at-risk youth rebuild their neighborhoods. The program enables young people to gain job skills while working toward their high school diploma or GED, to play a respected role in…

This memorandum of understanding among the Colorado Departments of Education, Public Health and Environment, Human Services, and Health Care Policy and Financing, describes how the agencies will work together in the implementation of Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The agreement covers: (1) a statement of common…

This final report describes the activities and accomplishments of a 3-year model demonstration early intervention network serving infants who are deaf-blind and their families. The primary goal of the project was to build the capacity of early intervention programs. Sixteen early intervention programs participated in at least one component of the…

This report describes a project to develop a tool to assist local schools and districts in choosing among various educational approaches to serving children and youth with disabilities in general education settings. The primary purpose of the study, its objectives, and the final product are described in the first chapter. The second chapter…

This project conducted a series of 11 studies over a period of 3 years to investigate the social skill competence of approximately 200 upper elementary and middle school children with serious emotional disturbances. The project identified a set of social tasks which proved critical in discriminating between socially competent and incompetent…

This handbook provides information on various techniques and strategies that can reduce excessive behaviors and improve deficit behaviors in children with autism. Chapter 1 gives an overview of autism and discusses the development of social skills and play skills in individuals with high-functioning autism. The characteristics of children with…

Case studies of focus groups as a useful educational research strategy for evaluating noninstructional interventions are described. Focus groups were used to evaluate the effectiveness of programs in the following Virginia school settings: (1) peer counseling programs in 4 high schools with 49 student counselors; (2) gifted programs in 7…

This publication presents the substance of a conference on collaborative approaches to prevention and intervention for African American families exposed to community violence. Participants included child and maternal mental health professionals and others involved in public health, juvenile justice, child welfare, education, child advocacy, and…

The African proverb, it takes a village to raise a child, seems increasingly fitting as problems and complexities of modern life impact the ability to provide healthy settings for the growth and development of children and youth. Psychology has a powerful contribution to make to the creation of "villages" which support and facilitate…

Two questions are explored related to the image of doctoral school psychology: (1) Why does doctoral school psychology not have parity with the specialties of clinical and counseling psychology? and (2) How could doctoral school psychologists market their skills such that school districts would hire them to do a greater variety of activities to…

This annual report examines the implications, for the state of Michigan, of Part H of the 1986 Amendments to the U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and discusses the planning, development, and demonstration activities related to the implementation of the required components of the law. This legislation provides states with funding to…

A project developed and implemented a plan to retain those adult basic education students who are likely to be successful if they stay enrolled in the program but who are likely to drop out if program staff do not intervene. The plan involved use of an assessment instrument to identify these at-risk students, development of an individualized…

This final report describes activities of the 3-year Activating Children Through Technology (ACTT) Outreach program housed in Macomb Projects in the College of Education at Western Illinois University, which attempted to integrate assistive technology into early childhood services for children, ages birth to 8, with disabilities. Major program…

Because all early childhood programs must now be prepared to serve children with special needs, early childhood staffs confront a host of new challenges and opportunities. This research monograph offers early childhood educators a foundational resource of information needed to develop inclusion practices. Chapter 1, "Introduction to the…

Project RETAIN (Retention in Education Technical Assistance and Information Network) is a Florida project that assists school districts through identification and dissemination of effective practices that keep students with mild disabilities in school. One part of the project examined dropout rates from Florida's 67 school districts and their…