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Disruptive behavior disorders in childhood are increasingly pervasive and associated with numerous, negative long-term outcomes. The current study examined whether adding a brief, home-visitation intervention to an existing, multi-component (child and teacher) intervention, would improve social-emotional and behavioral outcomes for young children with challenging behavior in home and school settings who required intensive support. A total of 379 teacher-parent-student triads were screened for elevated levels of behavioral risk in school and home settings and then randomly assigned to school only intervention (i.e., teacher and student components), home only intervention (i.e., parent), both combined, or business-as-usual control conditions. We examined baseline and posttest outcomes across prosocial behavior, problem behavior, and academic domains. The results demonstrated substantial support for the teacher and child-focused condition and combined conditions, and modest support for the parent-focused condition. The study advances the literature by increasing the knowledge base related to these interventions implemented alone and in combination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because parents of children with cerebral palsy encounter many challenges, the quality of their parenting varies substantially across time. To understand how and why their parenting behaviors change across time, we examined the contributions of child behavior and parents' psychological needs to explanations of yearly variation in responsive, autonomy-supportive, and psychologically controlling parenting. We also explored whether parents' motivation to take care of their child explained why some parents engage in better-quality parenting than others. Parents (N = 117) of children with cerebral palsy (M age = 10.98 years) participated in a three-wave longitudinal study. Multilevel analyses indicated that yearly variations in parents' need satisfaction and frustration related to yearly fluctuations in, respectively, autonomy-supportive and psychologically controlling parenting. Child behaviors had few unique effects on parenting. Parents' autonomous motivation was associated with better overall quality of parenting. We discuss implications for practice and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASL) describe and define their quality of life. Using a qualitative research design, the authors collected data through a 4-stage process which included in-depth interviews of 17 children ages 6 to 14 and focus groups. All of the children with ASD were male and between the ages of 5 and 16 with mild to moderate impairments; all of the participating families lived in a Dutch-speaking region of Belgium. Analyzing data according to the principles of grounded theory resulted in the identification of 9 domains of sibling quality of life (SibQol). The apparent invisibility of ASD emerged as an important theme. Results indicate that siblings of children with ASD can define their quality of life, that unique characteristics of ASD give the siblings' experience a highly personal interpretation, and that the SibQol concept can be used to support siblings of children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within 3-tier behavioral models, universal interventions are expected to prevent the onset of problem behavior in a majority of children altogether and to sustain improvements in child outcomes by the selected and indicated interventions. A cohort longitudinal design was used to assess the extent to which a 3-tier model achieves these expected outcomes. The respective universal, selected, and indicated interventions included Behavior and Academic Support and Enhancement, First Step to Success, and MultiSystemic Therapy. A total of 407 children in Grades K-3 from 1 of 4 longitudinal cohorts participated. The results of 2-level linear growth analyses indicate that the 3-tier behavior model achieved the anticipated outcomes with respect to social behavior. The results, limitations, and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logistic regression analyses were used to establish the most robust set of risk factors that would best predict borderline/clinical levels of problem behavior (i.e., a t score at or above 60 on the Child Behavior Checklist Total Problem scale) of kindergarten and first-grade children at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. Results showed that among the 11 risk factor domains considered, 5 were most predictive of borderline/clinical levels of problem behavior: externalizing behavior pattern, internalizing behavior pattern, early childhood child maladjustment, family functioning, and maternal depression. Within these 5 domains, the most robust set of individual risk factors were difficult child (i.e., temperament, parent management skills, interaction between temperament and parent management skills), destroys own toys, and maternal depression. Results, limitations, future research, and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines key issues relevant to the eligibility of children for special education. Children's behavioral functioning; Mother's psychological functioning; Quality of the home environment; Methods for screening and detecting young children likely to benefit from special education services.

Presents an examination of classroom dynamics as they relate to children deemed at risk for the development of serious emotional disturbance (SED). Comparison of students at risk of SED and other children; Description of the research methods utilized; Discussion on the outcomes of this examination.

Mainstreamed handicapped children often experience social rejection by their nonhandicapped peers. To evaluate possible approaches leading to a resolution of peer rejection, 86 low socially accepted learning disabled children in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades were paired for 8 weeks with 86 high socially accepted, same-sexed, nonhandicapped classmates, in four groups: mutual interest group, cooperative academic task group, Hawthorne Effect/Control group, and classroom control group. Social acceptance ratings of students with learning disabilities by their nonhandicapped peers, paired in the mutual interest group, increased significantly as a function of the intervention. Those in the academic activities group and in the Hawthorne control group did not change. However, ratings of the classroom con trol group showed a lowered acceptance level over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an effort to increase reading proficiency, five 9th- and 10th-grade students with behavior disorders were instructed to read along with an audio tape of vocabulary words recorded at 80 words per minute. Effects of the taped-words intervention on rate of reading vocabulary words as well as generalization effects of reading passages containing some of the same vocabulary words were assessed within a multiple baseline design. Results suggested significant effects due to practice. Minimal generalization from reading word lists to reading passages was demonstrated. The results of the present study are compared with similar investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early childhood special educators are increasingly challenged to demonstrate program impact. When appropriate control groups are not available, several investigators have proposed evaluating child developmental progress with various formulas which attempt to compensate for differential preintervention rates of development. This study applied a set of these formulas to Bayley data for three groups of handicapped infants. The results of the analyses indicate that these formulas fall into two classifications—those that measure rate of development and those that measure change in rate of development. Finally, issues and cautions in the use and interpretation of these formulas for evaluating program impact are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy of social metacognitive training focusing on impulse control, metacognitive awareness, and metacognitive control for enhancing overt social adjustment in delinquent youth was examined. Learning disabled (LD, n = 34) and low-achieving (NLD, n = 34) incarcerated delinquents (16 to 19 years) were assigned randomly to social metacognitive training, attention control or test-only control groups. Institutional staff and subjects were blind to both experimental conditions and variable measures. Compared to subjects in attention and test-only control conditions, those given metacognitive training showed significant Improvements in (a) quantity of negative behavior reports, (b) staff ratings on rehabilitation achievement, and (c) institutional living unit phase level promotions. Although both LD and NLD delinquents who received cognitive training significantly improved their behavior, on every variable the LD group had a greater proportion of subjects improve. Parallel improvement in metacognitive skills and significant correlations between social metacognitive scores and indicators of effective behavior support the notion that social metacognition was the "mechanism" of treatment and that social metacognition mediates overt social behavior in novel contexts without specific cueing from the environment. Results are interpreted within the context of a series of studies testing the hypothesis that social metacognitive deficits increase risk for maladaptive behavior, including delinquency, in LD youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of socially inappropriate behaviors and the label "in a special class for the retarded" on the attitudes and behaviors of 48 8- and 9-year-old girls and 48 12- and 13-year-old girls were examined. Half of the subjects from each age group saw a videotape in which the target actress exhibited socially inappropriate behaviors. The remaining subjects saw a videotape in which she engaged in socially appropriate behaviors. Half of the subjects from each age group viewing each film were told that the target child was the same age as they were and in a special class for the retarded. The results indicated that the child's social behaviors had a significant effect on the attitudes and behaviors of peers, while the label did not. Neither behavior nor labels affected the peers' performance as teachers of the target child. Older girls were more positive toward the target child than were the younger girls. The results also indicated that girls express more positive attitudes toward a target child if they already know someone in a special education class or if they have achieved the formal operations stage of cognitive functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes an initial attempt to examine and compare the behavioral characteristics of behaviorally disordered students being educated in five different settings. Behavioral rating scales were completed by teachers on 1,078 behaviorally disordered students assigned to (a) resource rooms in public schools, (b) self-contained classrooms in public schools, (c) psychiatric hospitals, (d) residential treatment centers, and (e) state training schools for the adjudicated. The data indicate that some differences do exist across settings and that this topic warrants research priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of rater characteristics (role, gender, age, and parental status) on ratings of childhood problems were investigated. Four groups of raters were included: clinical psychologists, school psychologists, teachers, and parents. All raters evaluated the psychological importance of the 118 items comprising the Child Behavior Checklist developed by Achenbach and Edelbrock. A discriminant function analysis provided strong evidence that role groups could be differentiated on the basis of ratings. One-way analyses of variance, Scheffe past hoc comparisons, and Spearman rank-order correlations also yielded many significant results. These included role group differences for 78 items, gender differences for 12 items, age differences far 59 items, and parental status differences for 15 items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated special education preschools are one alternative for educating young handicapped and nonhandicapped children in the same setting. Previous research in this area has focused on the effects of specific variables upon child behavior in the classroom. Few studies have examined overall program effects upon child development. The present study evaluated the effects of integrated special education preschool programs, relative to comparable groups of children in nonintegrated special education preschools, across a broad assessment battery (i.e., measures of cognitive, language, motor, and social behavior). Children in both types of programs made significant gains across the year. The children in the integrated special education classes scored significantly higher only on a social ploy measure taken in an analog setting. Temporal integration, without specific programming to encourage interaction between handicapped and nonhandicapped children, did not have a pervasive effect on child development in our sample of handicapped preschoolers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early 1970s, 49 deaf-blind children were evaluated for educational adjustment and communication level through a structured observational procedure. Ten years later, the examiners hove used the national registry for the deaf-blind to relocate these children. A comparison of the children's general level of functioning then and now is reported in those instances where the two reporting tools are compatible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intervention literature concerned with handicapped children has demonstrated that early and systematic exposure to instruction promotes language development, improves motor performance, facilitates social interaction, and improves academic skills. By analogy, if critical job-related behaviors could be taught earlier to handicapped children, later work behaviors might be taught with more ease and work performance improved. To assess the capacity of younger handicapped children to learn a benchwork assembly, a common workshop requirement, 18 children (mean age 12.7) were taught a complex worksample, and various acquisition measures were compared with the performance of 60 older subjects (mean age 21.6) on the same task. Only one significant difference was found between all measures of acquisition. These results suggest that younger subjects ore able to learn complex work tasks much earlier than is evidenced by current prevocational practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past, efficiency indices have been proposed as a means of expressing child progress from developmental data. In the present article, a variation of a previous index is proposed and examples are shown depicting the utility of the proposed variation. The proposed variation, the Proportional Change Index (PCI), is a numerical statement of the relationship between children's rate of development during intervention with the rate of development at the time intervention began. It allows comparisons of program efficiency across children with varying severity levels of handicapping conditions, different chronological ages, and developmental abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the exploratory behavior of 15 legally blind preschoolers as they compared to 15 sighted preschoolers (matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status). Each child was videotaped interacting with a novel toy and a commercial toy for the purpose of looking for initiative-aggressiveness, interest, mode of examination, sensory utilization, assistance needed to solve each toy, and verbalizations during exploration and about the "solution" of each toy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the role of parents as trainers of their language delayed children. Parents are trained with different learning strategies to be implemented to their child during structured or free play communication. The strategies are referencing, imitating, expanding, naming, parallel talk, questioning, replying and demanding. Parents showed success in teaching structured training formats. The average score of parents in four major modal areas are recorded during the pre, interim, and posttest measures.

Changes in the practice of general pediatrics and growth of the child development field have been key influences on the trend of pediatricians to becoming involved in the interdisciplinary process. The pediatrician may function in a variety of different interdisciplinary settings with specific roles varying from occasional consultant to team leader. As a necessary outgrowth of these historic changes, physicians at all levels of training are being introduced to interdisciplinary function. As an additional benefit, interdisciplinary research opportunities are numerous. Problems associated with group interaction threaten the effectiveness of the interdisciplinary process and must be continually recognized and overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the results of a national survey of identification practices in the field of gifted and talented education. The survey was conducted by the Educational Improvement Center-South under a contract from the U.S. Office of the Gifted and Talented. Teachers of the gifted, university professors, state consultants, and others were queried as to what constitutes the most frequently and effectively used tests/instruments/techniques in the identification process vis-à-vis the categories of the federal definition and certain subpopulations. Survey data is analyzed for existent and recurrent patterns and trends. Among the findings disclosed are abuses of standardized testing and other inappropriate practices, apparent confusion over the definition of giftedness, and lack of understanding regarding what should and should not be used for identification under each category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creativity and the characteristics of the creative personality are explored in an attempt to show both that creativity exists in handicapped children and is a valuable attribute to be developed in these students. A summary of research on the issue of the correlation of creativity and intelligence is presented. Studies of the creative abilities of handicapped children are ,reviewed, along with reports of the teachability of creative thinking and creative problem-solving. The special value of creative problem-solving skills for handicapped children is discussed, and specific attributes of the creative personality are summarized. Finally, a model incorporating these attributes into four levels of creative functioning is presented. Checklists drawn from this model will be used as one means of identifying creativity among handicapped children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current technical history of nonbiased assessment is highlighted. Definitions of fairness and experts' attempts to alleviate problems associated with bias in assessment are reviewed. Factors relating to nonbiased assessment are emphasized that normally do not receive sufficient attention. Decisions currently made as a result of the assessment process are reviewed and an examination made of how decisions based on inappropriate evaluation can negate the validity of the assessment process. Finally, the utility of many recent efforts to resolve the problems of bias in assessment is questioned and it is suggested that very basic systematic changes are needed before real progress can be made in reducing bias in assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seventy-four children, ages 7 to 9 years, were randomly assigned to two groups. One group received a pretest measure of perceptions of handicapped people. Both groups then participated in a 5 hour program of activities planned to enable the children to perceive and experience the needs of handicapped people and to synthesize their perceptions. The activities included simulations, interactions with handicapped people, and discussions. Posttest scores demonstrated significant positive changes in the children's perceptions of handicapped people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article employs the direct observation system developed by the University of Minnesota in connection with a special project funded by the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped, to objectively evaluate the presence of any behavioral difference in a classroom. The system requires the recording of the frequency of four key target behaviors exhibited by the referred student and by a normative peer sample. Findings showed that multiple observations are needed in order to prevent erroneous conclusions.

This article explores the concept of adaptive behavior. It notes some of the problems in measuring adaptive behavior and focuses on the possible bias that occurs in relying on informed sources to report the child's adaptive behavior. Moderately or severely retarded children (30 Black and 30 White) were selected randomly from schools serving them. A teacher and parent were asked to complete two adaptive behavior scales on each child. Parents and teachers did not always agree on the child's level of adaptive behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A consistently remarkable relationship between role taking ability and prosocial behaviors was posited to support the theoretical construct of psychosocial giftedness. Role taking tasks were given to gifted 3 year olds (mean IQ = 134) in the fall and spring. During the same period observations were made of their prosocial behaviors-sharing, helping, reacting to distress, and physical affection. In the fall, IQ, rather than role taking ability, was the best predictor of prosocial behaviors for this sample. The relationship between IQ and role taking increased from fall to spring. However, neither IQ nor role taking ability were reliable predictors of prosocial behaviors in the spring. These findings suggest that psychosocial giftedness as posited, may develop somewhat independently of IQ and cognitive role taking, thus aiding the notion of gifted pluralism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on research to determine the impact of teacher-administered praise notes on the academic performance of three special education elementary students. Findings indicated that consistent written praises by students can result into a significant and lasting improvement in academic performance. The data also support the utilization of parents as participants in schemes designed to enhance the academic performance of children.

Intervention programs claiming to benefit young young children are increasingly being required to provide evidence of their effectiveness. An Intervention Efficiency Index (IEI) is proposed as a method of measuring child progress and program impact by relating changes in children's developmental capabilities to time spent in a program. A series of steps involved in computing an IEI is presented. Research data supporting application of the IEI in two different preschool programs for handicapped children are analyzed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain information on the potential benefits of integration, this study investigated the nature and extent of social interactions among preschool children at different developmental levels. Communicative and parallel play interactions of mildly, moderately, severely, and nonhandicapped children were observed during free play across two time periods. The results revealed that (a) nonhandicapped and mildly handicapped children interacted with each other more frequently than expected on the basis of availability, and they interacted with moderately and severely handicapped children less frequently than expected; (b) moderately and severely handicapped children interacted with all four developmental groups as expected by the criterion of availability; and (c) whenever this pattern of interaction changed over time, it was typically in the direction of enhancing the differences noted in the first statement. These findings are discussed in terms of the potential value of integrated programs for children of varying developmental levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stages of early childhood development are outlined. The premise suggests that much of the behavioral disturbance and immaturity displayed by handicapped children is a function of their inability to move successfully through these stages as a result of their handicap rather than as a result of parental mismanagement. In addition, early intervention programs that ignore these early stages may actually interfere with rather than enhance development. Implications for habilitation programs are also made, although many program modifications can only follow from a thorough understanding of the meaning of infant behavior in terms of attachment and of the separation and individuation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine if identification and affinity for a storybook hero are functions of physical status. The similar groups (one disabled) aged 4 to 7 were randomly assigned to one of two storybook treatments telling of two boys' friendship. One version depicted both boys as nondisabled (control); the other depicted one boy as disabled (experimental). Questions were asked to determine whether the hero's disability affected the subjects' identification with or choice of him as a friend. Significant differences appeared between responses of two groups and again when sex was isolated as a variable. Disabled males identified less willingly with the disabled hero than did disabled females and preferred friendship of the nondisabled hero. Nondisabled males identified with the nondisabled hero but preferred friendship of the disabled hero while nondisabled females rejected him as a friend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a longitudinal study from kindergarten through grade 6, teachers annually rated the behavior of 1,586 children who were normally distributed on measures of IQ, socioeconomic status, and school achievement. In any single year, from 23% to 31% of the subjects were judged by their teachers as manifesting behavior problems. Long term cumulative prevalence rates were much higher. Among subjects receiving three or more annual ratings, 59% were considered as having a behavior problem by at least one teacher, and 7.4% were considered as having behavior problems by every teacher who rated them. Results indicate that behavior that at least one teacher is willing to classify as a problem is the norm rather than the exception for elementary school children, which raises serious questions about contemporary expectations regarding children's behavior in school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the potential contributions of research on social reciprocity to the assessment and remediation of social withdrawal among educationally handicapped pre-school children. The studies reviewed clearly suggest that social reciprocity is a phenomenon that occurs during interaction among adults and normal and exceptional preschool children. It is suggested here that educational strategies designed to increase positive social interaction be based on a reciprocal conceptualization of social behavior. Such a theoretical framework is reflected in the following procedures: (a) the use of observational strategies that are sensitive to who gives what to whom, when, and with what effect; and (b) the development of intervention efforts that rely on the eliciting effect of social stimuli to accelerate the social responses of withdrawn children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to review several practical and methodological issues related to the development of assessment instruments for child social interaction and social withdrawal. Specifically, the roles of (a) sociometric peer ratings, (b) behavioral observation measures, and (c) teacher ratings are discussed in relationship to their validity, reliability, and normative data characteristics. These measures are further discussed from the perspective of their usage in screening/identification and treatment evaluation. The role of normative data in facilitating screening/identification and treatment evaluation processes is also reviewed. Finally, the development of a social interaction assessment instrument for identifying socially withdrawn children is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1960's, a good deal of research was conducted on the psychological nature and measurement of creativity and on curriculum and instruction in the nurturing of creativity. Currently, however, there appears to be a loss of interest in fostering creativity. Every component of education and schooling affects the development of creativity. If gifted children are to become gifted adults, their creativity must be nurtured by all those who influence their development. Research and experience of the past two decades have provided educators with the necessary base for making the nurturing of creativity an integral and meaningful developmental activity rather than an educational fad soon to be forgotten and ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The war for the child has been waged by the proponents of behavior modification and feeling oriented therapy. Neither ideological camp has emerged victorious with the answer for all children with emotional and behavior problems. The complex needs of these children require professionals to call a truce in this war and to seek ways of combining behavior modification and psychodynamic interventions. Examples of this blending of approaches indicate that the children sewed by only one treatment modality are being denied the comprehensive treatment they need. Moving beyond the truce will require increased sharing and cooperation between programs, continued research, eclectic training for professionals, and the inclusion of other interventions into a comprehensive treatment program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behavior modification research and training materials within education have focused on techniques in which the locus of control rests solely with an external change agent. Recently, there has been increased interest in having the person control his own behavior. With the growing emphasis on normalization for handicapped children, self control techniques may be especially pertinent. There are three self control strategies that appear to have immediate implication for exceptional children: (a) cue regulation, (b) self reinforcement, and (c) self observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

38 students enrolled in an introductory special education class in education of the emotionally disturbed were randomly assigned to two treatment conditions, a normal (control) condition and low expectancy condition. These teacher trainees participated in a two phase study. During phase 1 the teachers were asked to rate a hypothetical normal child (control group) or a hypothetical emotionally disturbed child (low expectancy group) on two dependent measures developed for this research. During phase 2, both groups independently viewed a videotape of the same normal child. The control group was told the child was normal; the low expectancy group was told the child was emotionally disturbed. Both groups completed the same dependent measures following observation of the child. Differences between the groups in both phases indicate that teacher trainees hold negative stereotypical expectations of children labeled emotionally disturbed. Observations of normal behavior alter these expectations to some extent, but the negative halo of the label still results in more negative perceptions of behavior than when the child is labeled normal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological perspective on emotional disturbance in children stresses that disturbance does not reside in the child but in the interaction between the child and his environment. The purpose of this article is to present a framework for understanding the behaviors of children which may lead to disturbing encounters within the classroom environment. Triggering behaviors which are the product of temperamental and developmental differences in children are discussed, and adaptive environmental responses to those behaviors are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rhode Island Pupil Identification Scale, which is a pupil behavior observation scale for use by classroom teachers, is discussed. The scale is a multipurpose instrument designed to improve communication among the educator and his colleagues in the other child centered professions. The standardization sample comprised 851 pupils in kindergarten through second grade drawn from 7 schools in 3 school districts in Rhode Island. Retest reliabilities and several validity studies are reported, and the findings of the studies attest to the concurrent and predictive validities of the scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present article, the authors challenge the notion that punishment has either no lasting effect on behavior or detrimental effects. In so doing, the limitations of extinction and counterconditioning are discussed along with situations in which punishment is the better alternative for eliminating particular behaviors. In the last half of the paper, variables are explored which are suggested to alter the effectiveness of punishment, including timing, consistency, intensity, adaptation to punishment, alternative means of obtaining a goal, relationship between punishing agent and recipient, and cognitive variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assumptions underlying programs of early identification of young children viewed as educationally ‘at risk’ are reviewed in terms of the research literature relevant to questions of validity of identifying or screening techniques, implications of recognition for remediation, and possible compounding negative effects of early identification. Guidelines for development and implementation of programs of early detection are proposed. Recommendations include emphasis upon techniques which are short term and educationally oriented and which are based on functional aspects of children's behavior in classroom settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a model for helping troubled children. The approach involved is the psychiatric illness model which sees the troubles in the lives of children in the context of their life circumstances. Under the concept, teachers perform primarily as the children's assistants or consultants rather than as therapists. The theory that the model would like to emphasize is that any growth support the children need can be offered via significant adults. One advantage that can be derived from the model is that it does not require an elaborate home base.

This article describes a behavioral observation procedure for the study of ward staff behavior. The procedure was employed in a fairly typical state school ward for young children with primary retardation and secondary physical disabilities. The data indicated that more than half of the ward personnel's time was spent on activities away from the children and, of the time spent with the children, most went toward nonsocial types of interactions. It appeared that time spent at nonchild related tasks (housekeeping, paperwork, etc.) tended to be more visible to superiors. It was suggested that child related behavioral goals be made highly visible and the staff be rewarded for accomplishment of those goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A model is described in which service programs for handicapped children can be transformed into self contained research-service units. It is suggested that both research and service goals can be achieved concurrently and more economically within this model and that the research component is likely to enhance the effectiveness of the service component as well. The essential characteristics of this approach consist of an intensive individual analysis of each child's behavior and the application of multiple baseline procedures to most aspects of program development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]