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This article suggests strategies to make classroom curricula adaptive, flexible, and challenging to all students, including those with disabilities. Descriptions of eight sample learning activities illustrate the multiple adaptations possible. Principles such as the importance of the team approach, peer involvement, development of functional skills, and the values transmitted in an inclusive classroom are stressed. (DB)

This article suggests strategies that general educators, in collaboration with integration facilitators and other specialists, can use to include students with severe disabilities in the regular classroom curriculum within inclusive schools. Implementation considerations focus on a team approach, peer involvement, emphasis on functional skills, and educationally challenging all students. (JDD)

This article suggests specific strategies to prevent rejection and isolation and encourage interactions when students with disabilities are integrated into general education classes. Teachers are encouraged to foster proximity, teach peer support and friendship skills, foster respect for individual differences, and provide a positive model. (DB)

A growing number of concerned individuals throughout the world, including people with disabilities, their parents, and educators, are advocating that students with disabilities be educated in the mainstream of neighborhood classroom and schools. However, some disability-rights advocates believe that if people with disabilities are to have a well-developed se of identity as adults, they need to have had opportunities in their school years to associate with other people (both children and adults) having similar characteristics and interests. In this articl we examine this issue and provide one perspective on how it might be addressed., * The issue of educational integration or inclusion has been the focus of much debate over the past several years in many articles published in Exceptional Children (e.g., Blackman, 1989; [...]

Practical policy issues concerning extended year programs for severely handicapped students include aspects of eligibility criteria as stipulated by the courts and aspects of program development (continuity of quality programming, generalization and maintenance, and nonhandicapped peer involvement). (CL)

The article examines a different methodology, i.e., qualitative research, as a way to broaden the research perspective in special education. Qualitative research is defined and compared to quantitative research. Subsequently, areas in which qualitative methodology could make a contribution to research in special education are discussed. (Author/CL)

The authors review research on promoting positive social behavior of severely handicapped students and analyze the research in terms of those factors that have been found to influence generalization. Practical implications are drawn regarding ways to better foster generalization of the positive social behaviors of severely handicapped students. (Author/CL)

The article provides a rationale for the merger of special and regular education into one unified system structured to meet the unique needs of all students. Two major premises (lack of need and inefficiency of operating a dual system) are discussed, and some possible implications of merger are considered. (Author/CL)

The authors examine some of the underlying problems in the current organizational structure of the schools that hinder regular classroom teachers from being able to adapt their instruction to meet diverse student needs and suggest modifications needed in the traditional structure. (Author/CL)

The authors respond to comments on their earlier article in which they proposed the merger of regular and special education. They address the following issues: (1) willingness and capabilities of regular educators; (2) regular and special educator differences; (3) handicapism; (4) adovocacy; (5) service availability; and (6) reality. (CL)

Nonhandicapped elementary age students (N=9) learned to interact with six of their socially rejected mildly/moderately handicapped peers in small group free play sessions. Results suggested that natural reinforcers involved in interacting with socially rejected peers may not be strong enough to maintain responding over an extended period of time. (CL)

The paper is intended to provide an impetus for more widespread familiarity with and use of qualitiative research methodology among educators concerned with the education of persons with severe handicaps by examining the state of the art in qualitative research methodology. Among topics are subject and setting selection, strategy, corroboration, data collection, and data analysis. (Author/CL)

Problems in current special education categorical research practices are discussed in terms of consistency and reliability, student heterogeneity, and lack of distinct categorical groups. Suggested changes include characteristic-oriented categorization, corresponding changes in dissemination of research findings, and greater specificity and thoroughness in descriptions of research subjects. (JW)

The article proposes a unified educational system combining special and regular educational programs. Advantages include treatment of all children as individuals, integration of school personnel, personnel preparation organized according to areas of instructional expertise, and normalization of advocacy and funding activities. (DB)

Results of a case study designed to test the hypothesis that acting-out students would exhibit less disruptive behavior when grouped with "well-behaved" peers than when grouped with disruptive peers indicated that placement with well-behaved peers significantly reduced disruptive behavior, suggesting that grouping is an effective and nonintrusive intervention strategy. (JC)

The article presents a rationale for merging special and regular education in elementary/secondary schools. Steps that higher education could initiate to facilitate such a merger include: strengthening collaborative and cooperative efforts, restructuring organizational units, reorganizing program offerings and content, and coordinating with state certification agencies and elementary/secondary schools. (JDD)

Specific suggestions to help teachers structure the classroom to prevent disruptive behaviors are offered in the areas of physical arrangement and "traffic rules" time management, assignments, grouping practices, classroom atmosphere, and professional demeanor. (DB)

Possible strategies to integrate severely disabled students into regular classrooms are offered. Suggestions are given for promoting support among school personnel and parents, designating a support facilitator, developing networks of support, providing instruction naturally, promoting respect, and integrating personnel and resources as well as students. (DB)

The article discusses skills necessary for the development of friendships by the retarded and others including a positive interaction style, sharing and providing support, and conflict resolution. A coaching procedure is presented as a possible means to foster the acquisition and maintenance of friendship skills. (Author/DB)

The article identifies two data collection procedures (participant observation and interviewing) employed in qualitative research and discusses how these procedures can be used to investigate emerging issues in supported education for students with severe disabilities. (DB)

The authors review and discuss the applied behavior analysis procedures that have been found to be effective in controlling severe forms of maladaptive behavior and outline several considerations that may influence the success with which severe forms of maladaptive behavior are controlled in a classroom setting. (SBH)

Teachers can provide opportunities within a school for the interaction of severely handicapped and nonhandicapped students at all educational levels through cooperative work projects, prearranged play sessions, and human differences training. (DB)

Among the findings cited are that interactions between autistic and nonhandicapped students enhanced nonhandicapped students' understanding of autistic students and that maintenance of autistic students' improved social behaviors after cessation of intervention has been successful. (SB)

Three approaches to encouraging interactions between severely handicapped and nonhandicapped students in integrated classrooms are cited: designing and organizing the classroom, training socialization skills to the severely retarded, and training nonhandicapped students to interact with severely retarded students. Research on each is reviewed. (Author)

Discussion centers around the need for studies on modification of social preference behaviors of the nonhandicapped, future roles of the nonhandicapped, potential limitations of focusing all training toward the severely handicapped, generalization of training, and feasibility of training the nonhandicapped. (SB)

The article reviews recent research concerning interactions in integrated settings between severely handicapped and nonhandicapped students. Four topics are addressed: the interactions that occur, the influence of those interactions on the students involved, the communicative characteristics of the interactions, and ways of promoting interactions. (Author/SB)

Attitudes of 40 nonhandicapped fifth graders who had observed and interacted with 28 severely handicapped students (3-23 years old) were measured. Nonhandicapped Ss generally held more positive than negative perceptions of the handicapped students, although the perceptions were significantly less negative than their perceptions of nonhandicapped students. (CL)

Two ways of presenting introductory content about severely retarded students (observation with interaction or traditional presentation) were examined with 31 undergraduate students. Analysis of scores on an attitude survey revealed the experimental group had significantly more positive attitudes toward the integration of severely retarded students than the control group did. (CL)

The article presents a checklist for determining the extent of integration of severely handicapped students into regular school environments. The 14 item list is explained to be useful in identifying environments (such as the cafeteria, assembly programs, recess, and school hallways) in which integration of severely handicapped students should be improved. (CL)

Regular class teachers are coming into direct contact with severely retarded students and should receive practical training about the nature of the handicap, reasons for integrating severely retarded students into regular school experiences, and the regular teacher's role in assisting severely retarded students to mix with the other children. (CL)