A naturalistic inquiry involving early childhood special education teachers' perceptions of integrating children with complex health care needs into the classroom found that teachers' initial reactions were fear and apprehension, but teachers later had positive feelings and adjusted to dealing with life-threatening situations and communicable…

Development of a program integrating multiply disabled children into a self-contained preschool program serving deaf and hard of hearing children is described. Although the children were integrated within one curriculum, they were provided small group instruction based on their language skill levels. (DB)

Sixty preschool children (30 deaf and hard of hearing, 30 hearing) were observed in their integrated school during learning center activities and outdoor play. Half experienced auditory communication and half total communication modes. Although all children preferred to play and communicate with same-hearing status children, 63% did communicate…

Discusses the ways in which families and children with developmental disabilities can attain "full citizenship" with a creed of positive contribution, great expectations, friendships, choices, and strengths. (BB)

Examining the text and context of production of "The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood among Ghosts" (M.H. Kingston, 1976) shows how U.S. reception and rendition of this text by a Chinese-American writer reflects the goals of mainstream literary production in labeling this fictive text an autobiography. (SLD)

This paper presents findings of an ethnographic study investigating the first year of school for three Aboriginal students in two urban Australian classrooms. It considers how cultural differences, ideology, and micro-political processes marginalize Aboriginal students both academically and socially. (Author/DB)

The effectiveness of peer-mediated intervention on the social behavior of eight socially withdrawn preschoolers was examined. Intervention conducted by classroom assistants resulted in the withdrawn preschoolers increasing their social interactions with peers during instructional triads and improving their behavior. (Author/JDD)

This commentary on EC 606 262 (a study on the effectiveness of peer-mediated intervention on the social behavior of eight socially withdrawn preschoolers) emphasizes the importance of assessing multiple measures of integration, the need to implement research in real world settings, and the need for research on enhancing generalization and…

Explores the content of middle school reforms, focusing on how they diverge from conventional school practices, school norms, and school politics. Argues that norms of community and integration will need to replace many of the competitive, individualistic, and bureaucratic norms embedded in current practice. (Author/PAM)

Discusses issues in serving the needs of a multicultural camp population at Camp Algonquin (Illinois). This camp attempts to bridge the cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic gaps among campers, and between campers and staff. Discusses factors related to the environmental adaptation of campers; minimizing differences in economic standing of campers;…

Two adults and two children with severe disabilities and challenging behaviors participated in the Lifestyle Development Process, in which a planning process was implemented to develop a vision of a quality life, remediate barriers to participation, and develop intervention strategies. All participants increased their number of preferred,…

The parents of a young man with severe mental retardation and challenging behaviors comment on the use of punishment, arguing that the effectiveness of punishment cannot be consistently evaluated without placing their son in a restrictive setting and incurring subsequent uncertainty about generalizing the procedures back into the community…

Two boys (ages 6 and 15) with severe, multiple handicaps participated in social play activities with 10 nonhandicapped fifth graders, who had been trained on interaction with socially withdrawn children. Increases in all participants' socially directed behavior were observed. Both boys with handicaps increased targeted motor responses when…

The article describes the Finnish special education system which provides instructional modifications ranging from remedial education to individual instruction at home, with most students receiving part-time special education by resource room teachers. The last decade has seen emphasis on individual and group integration and individual special…

Queen Alexandra College of Further Education for Blind and Partially Sighted in Birmingham, England, is one of six rehabilitation centers to be involved in an initiative aimed at improving the training of disabled people as part of the HELIOS (Handicapped People in the European Community Living Independently in an Open Society) program.…