The author, born with a severe visual impairment, addresses the tendency of adolescents with visual impairments to try to hide the disability and "pass" as unimpaired with their peers. It is suggested that these adolescents be helped to find a comfortable balance between taking excessive risks and allowing visual impairment or blindness to be an…

A total of 28 middle class preschool children ranging in age from 3.5 to 5.5 years participated in a study designed to identify characteristic behaviors of children differing in their social acceptance by peers. Indexes of social acceptance and rejection were obtained through a peer nomination procedure based on queries about most and least…

Children who have reading disabilities are prone to become emotionally maladjusted due to the humiliation of poor reading ability and the anxiety over gaining peer approval. Adding to the child's problems are negative parental reactions. Suggestions for remedies are given. (JN)

Since the groundwork for social development is laid during a child's early years, early childhood programs should include regular, periodic, formal and informal assessments of children's progress in the acquisition of social competence. One assessment tool that can be used is the Social Attributes Checklist, which lists attributes of a child's…

In a letter to her six-year-old's kindergarten teacher, a parent discusses the child's (who has cerebral palsy) use of communication devices for expressive language and ways in which the teacher can help the child adjust and learn in such areas as "wait time," spontaneous conversation, and peer relationships. (CB)

The basis for socially mainstreaming handicapped children as well as changing attitudes toward the handicapped are discussed; and a list of teaching activities and resources for introducing students to the mentally retarded, the visually impaired, the physically handicapped, the hearing impaired, and the learning disabled is presented. A summary…

The competitive structure in which most children are taught to play is responsible for problems associated with stress. Athletic performance is important in how the child is perceived by peers and adults. Children who perceive themselves as inadequate at sports often feel low self-confidence and low self-esteem. (JN)

Two part-time faculty members and two full-time faculty members express their personal and professional concerns and attitudes about the trend toward increased and prolonged use of temporary and part-time faculty employment by institutions. (MSE)

The complex problems affecting the transition from secondary to postsecondary education are reviewed by an educator who works with black students from a small, Catholic high school. The following adjustments that students face in college are discussed: a change in the way a student is taught and learns, new levels of responsibility and…