Two papers summarize a symposium on special education services and interagency systems of care for children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbance (SED) in California. The first paper, "Opening the Floodgates? The Influence of a System of Care on Referrals to Special Education" (Iris Zanglis, Michael J. Furlong, Michelle Wood,…

This study evaluated 102 patients (ages 5 to 13) at the Medical University of South Carolina's Pediatric Neurology Clinic for incidence of psychiatric or language disorders. Parents completed the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC), the Child Behavior Checklist, and the Language Problems Scale; phone interviews were conducted to determine child…

This final report describes accomplishments and activities of a four-year federally funded project to provide technical assistance to Colorado children and youth with deafblindness. Accomplishments are detailed for each of the following six project goals: (1) identification of children with deafblindness; (2) development and maintenance of…

This report summarizes survey data on state policies and procedures related to the provision of services to students with Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). Information was received from 41 states and 3 non-state jurisdictions in the fall of 1998. Findings indicate: (1) at least 21 states have written…

This bulletin is a report of one of those side issues, or by-products, of a piece of scientific work which often proves to be more important than the main issue. When, in 1916, the psychological laboratory of the Vocation Bureau of Cincinnati (Ohio) was given an official position in the public-school system, the first task assigned it was that of…

The construction and validation of the Early Language Milestone Scale for children at risk for developmental disability are described. It is concluded that delayed achievement of early language milestones strongly suggests the presence of a significant underlying developmental disability. Journal Availability: See EC 152 486. (Author/SEW)

Technical problems in the assessment of learning disabilities (LD) are only a small part of the problems leading to the misidentification of children in this category of handicap. Given all the other motives and purposes served by labeling a child LD in school, apparently sound measurement advice may actually do more harm than good. (LC)

Financial, demographic, and socioeconomic data on Wisconsin school districts are employed to investigate the relationship among labeling children as handicapped, educational program determinations, and cost assessments. Analysis using two mathematical models indicates, among other things, that availability of fiscal resources leads to more…

Examined construction of different predictive models for readiness for first grade, using data from prekindergarten screening. Found 45.6 percent to 75.9 percent of the children correctly classified. Results indicate that less emphasis should be given to collecting historical screening data and that many social/emotional problems may go undetected…

Studied the stability of Child Study Team classifications over four years by relocating learning disabled (LD), emotionally disturbed (ED), and unclassified boys (UC) originally sampled in 1975. Results demonstrate high stability of classification status for UC children, moderate stability for LD children, and relatively low stability for ED…

Linguistic and perceptual tests were administered to learning disabled readers (LDR) and normal readers (NR). Results found six LDR subgroups all significantly different. Differences were found among the six LDR subgroups on measures of oral reading, reading comprehension, and spelling skills, but not on family history and developmental…

The initiation of Public Law 94-142 has provided a variety of assurances for the nation's handicapped. This article examines these assurances and strategies for their implementation. (Author/DS)

The Neurological Key method emphasizes a systematic deductive procedure for reaching clinical decisions about learning disabled children. The rationale for the diagnostic and remedial decisions reached at every node of the Key is explained and is supported by data from clinical and experimental studies in psychology and neurology. (Author/SJL)

This study compared state disparities in the diagnosis of students with learning disabilities. It found that state prevalence of learning disability was moderately explained by demographic and sociopolitical factors (unlike four common physical disabilities) and that these same factors strongly predicted the extent of mainstreaming and the size of…

Examines the historical definition and use of the term "mental retardation," and the 1992 revision of the term by the American Association on Mental Retardation that focuses on limitations in functioning rather than as a characteristic of an individual. Educational implications of the new definition are discussed. (CR)