A survey of state agencies found that early intervention services to visually impaired children, aged birth-two and three-five years, were permissive or mandated in the 29 respondents' states or territories. All respondents used definitions of visual impairment similar to the federal definition, and all required a medical diagnosis. (JDD)

Twenty-five first-graders referred for special education and 10 control children were administered standardized and experimental tasks. Scores were used to form subgroups based on presence/absence of risk factors (such as poor work-related skills and poor comprehension of discourse), and degree of risk for referral was determined for each…

Discusses five common rural impediments to equal access to gifted programs, and focuses on two under educators' control, program funding and student identification practices. Offers three approaches to local standardization of intelligence test norms. 11 references. (SV)

Argues that the gifted student is usually excluded, by definition in federal law, from classification as emotionally disturbed. Outlines areas of conflict that may lead to emotional disturbance in rural gifted students. Suggests positive teacher interventions to create a supportive learning environment and lower student stress. 40 references. (SV)

Discusses reasons for the lack of attention to Jews as an ethnic minority within multiculturalism both by Jews and non-Jews; why Jews and Jewish issues need to be included; and addresses some of the issues involved in the ethical treatment of Jewish clients. (Author)

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a training manual developed for speech-language pathologists for providing education and early detection of oral health problems secondary to smokeless tobacco use. With the addition of a clinical training module, the manual provided a method for expansion of the role of speech-language pathologists in…

A survey of 150 poor rural students in grades 4-8 revealed that age is relevant in choosing role models, that there are major gender differences in the types of glamour figures selected as role models and as simple figures of success, and that age and gender appear to affect youth's perceptions of success and their occupational choice. (LP)

This article addresses issues rising from the British government's Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs. It argues that the process of Recording of Achievement is closely related to the school-based stages of assessment in the Code of Practice. The Recording of Achievement assessment process recognizes…

A multiple-probe design across behaviors assessed the effectiveness of a simultaneous prompting procedure in teaching expressive identification of photos of community signs to two elementary students with moderate intellectual disabilities in a small group instructional arrangement. The procedure was effective in teaching both students the…

Discusses the extent to which the processes of "othering" (marking and naming those considered different from oneself) fall into the physical and sexual realm. The paper examines three studies, highlighting the extent to which othering is sexual, naming and exploring what it means for current school practice in multicultural environments. (SM)

Describes how curriculum integration of race, class, and gender issues in professional education courses can be implemented and evaluated using the model of white racial identity formation of Janet Helms (1990). Experiences over three years at West Chester University (Pennsylvania) support the theory and the use of multiple teaching strategies.…

Five countable indices of writing quality were examined for their suitability in making special education screening-eligibility decisions, based on writing samples from 2,160 students. Even the best index was only moderately efficient. "Percentage of words spelled correctly" was best overall, and "percentage of correct word sequences" was best for…

Discusses the problem of drug-exposed infants from the perspective of a county attorney's office, focusing on a new Minnesota law that responds to the problem through early identification and provision of services. The approach calls for mandated reporting by medical providers and includes the possibility of civil commitment. (SLD)

Word lists spoken in Castillian, Caribbean, and Mexican dialects were compared to identify speech reception thresholds in 12 Spanish-speaking, Puerto Rican children (ages 6-7). No statistically significant differences were found among the dialects. (Author/DB)

The Preschool Development Inventory (PDI) obtains parents' assessments of their children's present development and possible problems. Of 220 children (ages 3 and 4), 11% obtained low General Development Scale scores, whereas 14% showed potential major obstacles to learning. Data concerning the PDI's sensitivity/specificity indicate that parents'…