This compilation presents five papers on issues and research in special education. "Qualitative Research in Special Education: An Evaluative Review" (Charles A. Peck and Gail C. Furman) explicates some of the epistemological assumptions underlying qualitative research methods, reviews examples of qualitative research, evaluates the contributions of this research to the understanding of policy and practice in special education, and examines relationships between qualitative/interpretivist and more traditional quantitative/objectivist approaches to research. "Research Issues in Behavioral Disorders" (Frank H. Wood and others) reviews issues related to the terminology and definition used for behavioral disorders and associated disabilities, population characteristics, appropriate educational placement of students with behavioral disorders, the effectiveness of interventions with this population, and the evaluation of program effectiveness. "Extending Complex Repertoires of Critical Skills" (Thomas G. Haring and Richard Laitinen) presents a model of generalization that analyzes the multiple interactions that occur within and between skill clusters, suggests an instructional technology that explicitly teaches learners with severe handicaps to become more independent and spontaneous in their interactions, and describes a set of principles that might control the learning and generalization of complex repertoires. "Literacy Issues in Persons with Severe Speech and Physical Impairments" (David A. Koppenhaver and David E. Yoder) reviews and synthesizes four decades of research activity in literacy learning and instruction and suggests directions for future research. "Social Support and Transitional Coping" (Phyllis M. Tappe and Robert Gaylord-Ross) examines social support in the form of coping assistance as a way for developmentally disabled adults to face the transitional stressors of moving from a sheltered or home environment into a more independent community setting. The paper also discusses support networks, functions, facilitators, and intervention components. (JDD)