This issue of "Community Update" focuses on families involved in learning. The first article briefly discusses the "Ready to Read, Ready to Learn" White House summit that highlighted new research on early childhood learning. The center spread of this issue offers "Priming the Primary Educator: A Look at L. A. County's…

Designed for parents of preschoolers, this monthly bilingual (English/Spanish) newsletter contains information on local library programs, games and activities to play at home, reading readiness, and recommended books for preschoolers. A feature on disabled children includes a description of the library's special needs collection and a letter to…

Two articles examine issues of transition for people with mental retardation. The first article describes how the Ohio Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) developed a parent-based project to monitor the quality of residential placements. The project was intended to assess both the strengths and weaknesses of community residential programs, to…

Two newsletters focus on alternatives for community living and approaches to teaching social skills to children and youth with disabilities. The first issue provides information on some family support services and community-based living arrangements that are currently available for children with severe and profound handicaps or chronic illnesses.…

This issue focuses on assisting adolescents with serious emotional handicaps to make transitions from youth serving systems into society. A framework for developing transition-oriented programs is prevented that incorporates into the specific service goals of the current environment the skills required to function in the projected environment.…

Two newsletters center on making the transition from school to work for students with disabilities. In the first newsletter, a personal reflection on transition by a man with cerebral palsy is followed by a review of services offered by colleges with support programs for learning disabled students. Guidelines are given to help parents prepare…

Natural environments is a term used in the regulations for Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It states that early intervention services must be provided in natural environments, including home and community settings in which children without disabilities participate. Questions addressed in this paper include: (1)…

This "feature issue" focuses on integrated leisure and recreation for developmentally disabled persons and includes descriptions of innovative leisure/recreation programs which allow the realization of the concepts of normalization and least restrictive environment. Brief articles include the following titles and authors: "Challenging the…

Twelve 1996 issues of "Exceptional Parent" magazine provide a variety of articles and resources on parenting the child or young adult with a disability. The January issue is a resource guide, with directories of national organizations, associations, products, and services. The February issue focuses on early childhood, including articles…