Four interdisciplinary programs for the developmentally disabled are described: (1) a paraprofessional degree training program; (2) supported employment for institutionalized adults; (3) a service/research program in the area of communication technology and training for nonspeaking persons; and (4) a communication skills program for persons who…

A staff supervision and classroom management program to increase involvement in functional task activities (e.g., self-help, leisure, social/communication) was implemented in three classes serving 19 students (ages 11-36) with profound mental and physical handicaps. Large increases in functional task involvement and smaller increases in student…

Data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) are designed to provide a national picture of the rate at which secondary school students with disabilities complete high school and how they fare in their early postschool years. Further, comparisons of findings from NLTS2 and the original NLTS enables an investigation of changes in…

This videotape explains common vision tests used with infants with multiple disabilities, shows how to gather information from parents on their children's use of vision, and demonstrates selected early intervention strategies for encouraging infants and young children with multiple disabilities to use their vision in functional ways. The videotape…

This book explains essential features of special education that are important for interdisciplinary communication and effective teaching. Part I introduces the reader to historical and instructional foundations of music in special education. Major topics and developments in the field of special education, important terminology, and curricular…

Now in its fourth edition, this highly respected, bestselling textbook gives undergraduate and graduate students up-to-the-minute research and strategies for educating children with severe and multiple disabilities. This popular core text--for 15 years, a staple of teacher training programs in special education and related fields--thoroughly…

This paper addresses the special problems in assessment of pupils who are congenitally or prelingually deafblind and who may have other disabilities, and argues that nonintrusive instruments and procedures are the assessment tools of choice. It contends that not enough attention has been given to developing, validating, and applying assessment…

Over a 3-year period, interviews were conducted with parents, caregivers, teachers, and social workers of 29 young children with complex multiple disabilities in rural Alaska. Discrepancies were found between perceptions of parents and professionals about the nature of support and the focus of intervention policies and delivery systems. (RE)

Describes procedures for mainstreaming multihandicapped children at the elementary level in a program designed to meet children's individual needs while developing positive social skills, self-esteem, communication skills, and daily living skills. Notes benefits for regular education students. (Author/SV)

This overview describes the prevalence and etiology of the population of children who are deaf blind; considers service delivery and resource systems currently in place; and discusses current and future issues including provision of transition services, lack of qualified teachers, and lack of related and support services. New initiatives are…

This article describes an assessment approach for students with severe and multiple disabilities, SMH.PAL, that employs expert system technology. The system matches behavior topography with studies describing treatment approaches and then generates case-specific, annotated descriptions of potentially useful articles. It also models an approach to…

This article describes the Bay Area Personnel System, a consultative resource program which provides supported employment services for individuals with dual sensory impairments (and often severe mental retardation). A case study details a specific instructional mobility program, focusing on job tasks at a pizza restaurant and instructional…

The education of children with visual impairments or blindness combined with other disabilities is increasingly recognized as one of the most compelling and challenging aspects of Special Education. We have come to recognize the multiple effects of combined sensory, neurological and/or psychological problems Visual and movement impairments impose…

This manual describes the Wisconsin Sensorimotor Pointing Assessment (WSPA) for individuals with severe communication deficits complicated by other cognitive or motor disabilities, and provides guidelines for its administration. The WSPA was designed to quantify four categories of sensory and motor abilities necessary for initiating and accurately…

This paper describes the planning and implementation of an instructional unit to teach the basics of American Sign Language to a class of nine elementary-aged male students with serious emotional disturbances (including one with a severe hearing impairment) in a laboratory school. The systematic instructional approach, direct instruction, was…