An important achievement for all students is the ability to function independently throughout the school day. For students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), activities that other students may find easy, such as transitioning from one location to the next, organizing their learning materials, and completing assigned activities, can be very…

Designed for professionals who design and develop instructional materials, this paper identifies specific and general strategies that educational technologists can employ in their media productions to enhance aesthetic awareness. A brief overview of aesthetics and aesthetic education is provided, including definitions and various approaches to…

Analyzes the research strategies, stimuli, subjects, statistical strategies, and relative variables in 34 empirical studies on children's representation of three-dimensional objects. The studies fell into three categories: children's representation of spatial relationships within an object, between two objects, and studies that included both. (MJP)

Discusses art development in young children. Correlates findings from play research with theories about the development of the creative process in children. Discusses implications for curriculum and teaching methods. (RJC)

Color monitors are in wide use in computer systems. Thus, it is important to understand how to apply color effectively in computer assisted instruction (CAI) and computer based training (CBT). Color can enhance learning, but it does not automatically do so. Indiscriminate application of color can mislead a student and thereby even interfere with…

This overview of aesthetics and aesthetic education covers definitions and approaches to aesthetic education; discusses two notable ways educational technologists can influence aesthetics in learning situations with use of visuals and music; and lists strategies educational media producers can incorporate in productions to enhance aesthetic…

Examined were the effects of reversing the color of stimulus materials used to teach survival vocabulary to 16 spastic cerebral palsied and 16 other multihandicapped adolescents with mental retardation. Compared to black-on-white cards, white-on-black cards improved the acquisition performance of both groups, but did not affect retention.…

Twenty prelingually deaf students, aged six-eight, were able to identify words better when presented in a print-plus-graphic-sign condition compared to a print-only condition. The initial use of the graphic representation of signs with the printed words also facilitated the children's immediate retention when reading the printed word only.…

Intended as a guide for teachers, this book discusses ways to exploit the intersections between the visual and the verbal to teach writing. Chapter 1, "Seeing Writing in a Visual World" (Eric H. Hobson), establishes the book's major premises. Chapter 2, "Postcards: Inside/Out" (Joseph F. Trimmer), describes engaging students in a whole course of…

This article collects some of the many ideas that were generated in one of the workshop options at the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit Materials Conference. The ideas it presents illustrate the purpose of the workshop, which was to explore, discuss, and plan ways of using objects and visual material as a source for generating ideas and…

Reports on a study conducted in Spain in which the environmental preferences of 11 to 14-year-old children were examined using a collection of photographs. Results include the indication that the environmental attitudes of children attending a 15-day nature camp changed noticeably in at least five different aspects. (TW)

When selecting instructional materials and curricula for developing critical television viewing skills with gifted students, teachers should consider: the track record of the materials; media experience of the students; and other visual stimuli in the classroom. The teacher's and parents' roles identified in the materials should also be…

A 12-year-old boy with severe disabilities was taught street-crossing skills through the use of photographs with verbal rehearsal of appropriate street crossing, followed by community-based instruction. The skills were acquired, maintained at follow up, and generalized to new streets. (JDD)

This booklet is geared towards persons with autism of all ages who would benefit from enhancing their communication systems through the use of aided communication. It recognizes the importance of an effective expressive communication system to aid them in expressing thoughts and maintaining some power and control over decisions in their lives.…

Two visually impaired children, aged 8 and 10, appeared to have severe difficulty in recognizing faces. After assessment, it became apparent that only one had unusually poor facial recognition skills. After training, which included matching face photographs, schematic faces, and digitized faces, there was no evidence of any improvement.…