This study investigated the procedures used by psychologists in a large midwestern urban area for the initial diagnosis and placement of elementary children with severe emotional disturbance (SED) in educational programs in light of the widespread criticism of the use of projective tests due to the questionable reliability of the tests and…

This volume presents 13 papers focusing on definition and assessment, interventions, comprehensive systems for services, and teacher training issues related to students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Papers include: "The State of the Art in Behavioral Disorders: Changing Problems, Populations, and Paradigms--Keynote Paper"…

Examines differences between 45 learning disabled, mentally retarded, and Title I elementary students on intelligence, academic achievement, and behavior measures. Indicates that such students perform similarly on academic achievement and behavior measures. Learning disabled and Title I students were similar on an intelligence measure; mentally…

This digest discusses the difficulty of assessing the speech and language of culturally and linguistically diverse students and recommends strategies for identifying communication disorders. It begins by reviewing what qualifies as a communication disorder, discussing the limitations of speech and language tests, and outlining test considerations.…

This paper focuses on the state of the law as it concerns adults with disabilities regarding educational issues. Sections 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 are addressed and legal issues are examined, including: (1) the definition of disability; (2) documentation of disability; (3) financial…

This paper discusses the characteristics of children who are gifted and have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Seven principles to reach and teach gifted learners with ADHD are recommended: (1) remembering that these learners have needs just like other children in their age groups; (2) having realistic expectations in helping these…

This guide presents practice recommendations developed by a special Iowa study group as a result of change in 1995 from state-developed definition and eligibility criteria for learning disability to the definition and evaluation requirements of federal regulations. The recommendations focus on preferred practices in assessment, evaluation, and…

This paper discusses the first year results of a screening procedure used to identify 92 kindergarten and first grade children who were at risk of developing serious emotional disturbance (SED), and presents additional data on the predictive validity of the screening procedure one year later. The Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD)…

The report describes activities and achievements of the Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) Teacher Inservice Project. The inservice program was developed using a formal process to identify the critical issues related to ADD awareness, assessment, and intervention. Program content was designed to address critical issues identified in the research…

This digest summarizes the problem of over-representation of minority students in special education and offers suggestions to reduce this disproportionate representation. It notes concerns of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) that minority students are being misclassified and receiving…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires the implementation of a comprehensive child find system. This system includes public awareness activities to inform parents, professionals, and the community at large of the availability of early intervention and preschool services, of the importance of identifying children with or at…

This final report details the activities and outcomes of a federally sponsored Oregon project designed to address the expressed and identified needs of students with deafblindness, their parents, and the services provided to them. As a result of the project, services (including the availability of technical assistance, information, and training…

This volume on the identification of learning disabilities (LD) offers chapters that provide comprehensive reviews of the research evidence underlying different aspects of LD and was the product of a 2001 general conference followed up by a small research forum. Contributors include researchers, parents, practitioners, and administrators. A final…

Discusses the increasing number of students with psychological disabilities attending community colleges. In efforts to meet these students' extended support needs during times of budget cuts, the College of San Mateo, a community college, has organized partnerships within the local mental heath, rehabilitation, and consumer groups. Since 1991,…

This manual describes the rationale, use, and validity of the Temperament and Atypical Behavior Scale (TABS), a norm-referenced measure of dysfunctional behavior appropriately used with infants and young children between the ages of 11 and 71 months. TABS is intended to identify children who are developing atypically or are at risk for atypical…