The Oak Hill School Model was developed to secure the best plan for educating, training, and developing a life program for the multihandicapped person. The handicapped individual's full potential is developed in the least restrictive environment. The group home program teaches self-help skills and is an alternative to the institution. (JN)

The principal of a special school for physically and mentally handicapped students in Milwaukee reviews the history of services for handicapped persons as well as current approaches used in her school. Provisions for least restrictive environment are discussed, and the concept of appropriate and individual education programs is applied to…

Thirty severely multiply handicapped deaf children have been served in an existing school for deaf children. Ongoing assessment is closely integrated with instruction to provide individual sequential programs. Children have one-to-one lessons and group experiences. The program is developed around the Social Learning Curriculum that has as its core…

This study examined the performance of 96 youth hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital on a battery of language measures. Participants with both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and language learning disabilities (LLD) performed similarly to those with only LLD but significantly more poorly than those with only ADHD or with neither…

A study investigated the causes, educational continuity, and parental perceptions associated with 19 students with multiple disabilities transitioning from school to hospital. Sixty-one percent of hospitalizations were for emergencies and only 1 in 46 hospitalizations had a transition plan to deliver educational services while students were absent…

Noting a high incidence of learning disabilities among students with visual impairments, this article compares definitions of the two conditions. Common assessment approaches are discussed and those inappropriate for students with low vision or blindness are identified. Suggested intervention approaches include adaptation of the environment,…

Describes the classroom environment and activities of a class of eight students (ages 3-12) with hearing loss and at least one other disability. The importance of positioning and the skills the students learn through toys (stimulation and learning), dressing (self-help skills), and lunch (making decisions) are discussed. (CR)

Single-subject multiple probe designs were employed in two studies with 5 young adults who had mental retardation and mental illness. After learning visual arts activity skills in Study 1 and personally expressive behaviors in Study 2, participants displayed improvement in behaviors associated with mental illness and increases in expressive…

This study explored perceptions of nine adults with cognitive disabilities and/or autism regarding barriers and solutions experienced due to problem behavior and elicited suggestions for improving quality of life while reducing problem behavior. Emergent themes included communication difficulties, need for privacy and personal decision making, and…

This paper compares segregated, integrated, and community-based environments for instructing students with severe, multiple handicaps. Advantages and disadvantages are reviewed, recommendations for selection of suitable instructional environments are offered, and essential criteria for the evaluation of instruction in the various environments are…

The paper defines the population of primary school age language/learning-disabled children with communication disorders and emotional/behavioral disorders. It then discusses the language demands of traditional treatment methods, assessment and diagnostic procedures, approaches to communication intervention, and treatment modalities; and offers a…

Evaluation of treatment acceptability was conducted with 78 staff members at a community-based residential facility for youth with severe behavior disorders and mental retardation, where the institutional treatment philosophy was explicitly behavioral. Unlike a previous study, in this setting acceptability ratings were not influenced by severity…

The article offers a contextual and functional approach to the development of visual skills in students with concomitant visual and multiple disabilities. A decision-making strategy is provided to aid the vision specialist in maximizing effective intervention. A case study illustrates the decision-making steps. (Author/DB)

Two social validation studies assessed the vocational gains of six high school students with severe or multiple handicaps over a five-month training period. Comparison by special education teachers and university business students of pre- and post-video vignettes found significant improvements in work behaviors, breaktime skills, and getting ready…

Two adults with severe mental retardation and profound hearing loss were given computer-based instruction in spelling. Positive results transferred to a retrieval task in which the participant wrote a list of objects displayed, selected the objects from a shelf, and returned the objects to the table. The role of stimulus class in fostering the…