The identification of clusters of behavior that are commonly seen in infants with prenatal drug exposure is discussed, as are intervention techniques that have been successful in hospital and home programs. Reading behavioral cues, modifying the environment, and providing support for the infant's attempts at self-regulation are suggested.…

Two studies on monitoring and assisting high-risk college students are compared. Individualized intervention was provided in the first study, whereas the second attempted a reduced form of the same intervention in a large-group course. Both emphasized student awareness of appropriate study behavior. Only the first study had positive results.…

Data from 31 middle school teachers were categorized through the use of qualitative research to determine what teachers perceive to be the advantages and disadvantages of ability grouping as well as alternative grouping practices. Found that most teachers were knowledgeable about ability grouping through experience or professional development;…

This article explores the social context surrounding Lloyd Dunn's 1968 paper on educational reform for children with mild disabilities, noting the subsequent adoption of resource specialist services in place of special day classes, changes in numbers of students with mild mental retardation and their behavioral characteristics, and the current…

Survey responses from 162 early-childhood special educators and pediatric professionals working with young children prenatally exposed to cocaine were evaluated. Findings suggested differences in service delivery patterns, with maternal self-report identified as the primary identification procedure. Respondents also felt they lacked necessary…

Principles of comprehensive assessment of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are examined in relation to legal compliance, special considerations for cultural diversity, medical diagnosis versus educational identification, and the problem-solving assessment model. Strengths and weakness of specific strategies are identified as…

Background and historical information on dyslexia are presented, including use of the term dyslexia, definitions of brain disorders affecting language ability, various schools of thought on remediation, guidelines for evaluating individuals with language-processing problems, and recommendations for treating common problems. (SW)

A survey of 124 academically gifted secondary students who participated in the 1992-93 Utah Talent Search program focused on student experiences, attitudes toward teachers, self-perceptions, and career plans. Students reported a wide range of program options in elementary school but only honors and/or advanced placement classes at the secondary…

This comparison of 15 successful and 15 unsuccessful college foreign-language learners found significant intergroup differences in performance on the Modern Language Aptitude Test, tests of written and oral language in the syntactic and phonological domains, and math calculation. Results suggest that students with foreign language learning…

Tested the hypothesis that toddlers labeled "developmentally delayed" would be perceived by adults more negatively than toddlers described as having normal development. Results indicated that female undergraduates' perceptions of toddlers can be influenced by labeling independent of toddlers' behavior. (BB)

Prospects and problems facing historically black institutions/colleges (HBIs) are reviewed, beginning with data from 38 publicly supported 4-year HBIs. Alternative models for HBIs include the following: (1) comprehensive public institutions; (2) academically specialized institutions for particular programs; and (3) comprehensive public…

For Asian Americans, the solution to racial discrimination and violence is not in adopting the victim ideology, separatism, and political correctness of other minority groups, but in defining their own identity and acknowledging Asian success in the United States. Honest assessment can provide useful lessons for the future. (SLD)

This content analysis of 39 state definitions of "developmentally delayed infants and toddlers" for Part H of Public Law 99-457 focused on types of children, conditions listed as established conditions, criteria used to determine delay, and criteria delineated for "at risk" status. The analysis found some type of problem in…

Effectiveness of the Mantel-Haenszel statistic in detecting differentially functioning test items was studied when the internal criterion was varied, using a dataset from a life skills examination taken by 1,000 Anglo-American and 1,000 Native American high school students. Choice of criterion variable has a substantial effect on detection. (SLD)

Results with 54 African-American and 63 white kindergarten through second grade students (66 males and 51 females) do not support earlier studies' findings that African Americans and whites negative-value dark and positive-value white skin colors. Previous results may relate more to the forced-choice methodologies used than in the children's…