A basic writing course at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, serves students underprepared for first-year composition. The student population is culturally diverse, varying widely in ability and background. The course has evolved from a basic syllabus designed to teach writing skills to a more comprehensive, student-centered curriculum…

Describes and illustrates a technique for using guided dramatization in intervention with special needs or at-risk children. Discusses social benefits of the technique. Maintains that the technique is useful for helping mainstreamed children socially integrate into the regular classroom. (BG)

Describes the ways in which major provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are likely to affect child care centers and family child care homes. Keys to success with the ADA are listed. (BB)

Effects of a summary skills learning strategy on the comprehension of science text were examined with five elementary-age urban minority students with learning disabilities participating in a summer remedial program. The strategy produced clear improvement in comprehension which was associated with similar improvements in the completeness of the…

This article explores the future of special education within four contexts: service delivery systems, personnel qualifications, emerging technologies, and policy developments. The paper argues for participation by all educators in active efforts to promote "best" policies and practices for the education of all children with special needs.…

The Learning through Creative Writing program was developed for students with learning and emotional disabilities in grades 6-8. The program used a pen-pal correspondence activity to develop students' abilities in communication, higher level thinking skills, geographic concepts, and social studies concepts. (JDD)

Three preservice teachers of students with severe disabilities were trained on systematic instruction skills, focusing on appropriate use of positive consequences and instructional prompts. Results indicated that immediate feedback was more effective with two student teachers and delayed feedback was more effective for the third. Teaching skills…

Sixty-two college students with learning disabilities were compared to 58 peers matched on gender and American College Testing composite score. Groups were compared on age, high school preparation and performance, college grades, grade point average at the end of each year of study, graduation and academic failure rate, and time taken to complete…

School division compliance with Virginia state and federal regulations concerning the parent's role in the special education process was examined. Analysis of parent surveys and state department of education compliance reports found a high incidence of parent nonparticipation, inadequate communication to parents of their rights, and difficulties…

Action research, in which classroom teachers engage in systematic inquiry to develop new alternatives for approaching problematic classroom situations, is presented as a dimension of collaboration that has the potential to reduce teachers' resistance to changes in teaching practice as they work to accommodate diverse classroom populations.…

This article provides an overview of issues that states must address in developing their early intervention personnel systems to best meet the demands of Public Law 99-457. Personnel issues include credentialling current staff, developing effective preservice systems and ongoing professional development systems, and determining personnel needs.…

Effects of self-monitoring alone and in combination with external contingent rewards on sight word acquisition were compared across two groups of four learning-disabled elementary students. Both treatments were found to increase sight word vocabulary, but contingent reward did not enhance the reactivity of self-monitoring for most students.…

This study evaluated the effectiveness and efficiency of the Georgia Cooperative School Programme which provides work experiences for high school students with mental retardation or other disabilities through coordination with rehabilitation services. Evaluation indicated the program appears to prevent some dropouts but improved interagency…

This study found that a linear discriminant function was able, with 73 percent accuracy, to distinguish between learning-disabled dropouts (n=213) and learning-disabled graduates (n=92). The discriminant function was composed of six variables--student ethnicity, reading ability, family intactness, family socioeconomic status, school transfers, and…

University students (n=166) representing English-speaking North American culture and several other cultures completed questionnaires examining attitudes toward four speech disorders (cleft palate, dysfluency, hearing impairment, and misarticulations). Results showed significant group differences in beliefs about the emotional health of persons…