This report looks at demographic concepts related to persons with blindness or visual impairment, such as population changes and employment changes. A "New Demographics" is proposed which would consider the entire individual, the variety of social groups, and limitations in the social environment rather than the disability. (DB)

The characteristic features of psychogenic stuttering of adult onset are reviewed, and four cases of this disorder are presented. Psychogenic stuttering of adult onset is classified as a conversion reaction, and tentative criteria for this diagnosis are proposed. (Author/JDD)

Schools can develop worker traits, behaviors, values, and attitudes in students by taking the view that school is a workplace and learners are workers. This concept involves analysis of classroom work functions and tasks, worker characteristics, physical demands, environmental conditions, and interest in, involvement in, and performance of work…

This article reviews "Facing Learning Disabilities in the Adult Years" by Joan Shapiro and Rebecca Rich, a book that discusses the definitions, causes, and characteristics of learning disabilities as well as many interventions for successful adult adjustment. The information is aimed at helping families and professionals, as well as the adults…

This article describes the theory of successful intelligence and how it can be applied to gifted education. It discusses the inadequacy of notions of IQ or general ability for fully characterizing intellectual giftedness and presents evidence in favor of the statistical validity and usefulness of the successful intelligence theory. (Contains…

Presents arguments against adopting virtue ethics as a guiding concept in developing counseling guidelines: (1) virtue ethics is irrelevant in the resolution of most ethics cases; (2) virtue and principle ethics overlap; (3) principle ethics are more suited to acting and deciding; (4) the emphasis on virtue ethics increases the possibility of…

This commentary uses self-injurious behavior to illustrate the approach of the functional analysis of behavior as a guide to rational treatment strategies for individuals with autism, and to show that the characteristics of the clinical presentations can provide clues for underlying mechanisms that can be used for research and treatment. (Contains…

This commentary on research findings that indicate immunological abnormalities in children with autism, discusses the lack of evidence indicating autoantibodies specifically affect the vulnerable neuronal networks or synaptic functions of individuals with autism to account for the cognitive and behavioral symptoms of the disorder. (Contains…

Identifies and discusses several reasons why the proliferation of standards for early childhood education is harmful to children and teachers: Pressure on children and teachers, narrowing of experience, accountability as punishment, teacher deprofessionalization, performance over learning, individual devaluation, corporate mentality. (Contains 34…

In this article, the author talks about the concept underlying the term metal retardation and the effort to define it in a way that is scientifically accurate and in a way that promotes greater sensitivity to the needs of people described by the term which has been continuous for centuries. The author states that a scientifically sound and…

Several sport-specific talent detection models have been developed over the last 30 years (Durand-Bush & Salmela, 2001). However, these models have failed in at least one important standard of judgment--accurately predicting who will develop into an elite level athlete. The authors believe that the WICS model presented by Robert Sternberg also…

Frequent use of credibility phrases such as "to be perfectly honest" and "frankly speaking" may lend credence to the description of this era as being the Age of Disbelief. It is not enough that truth is implied in a discussion, it must be made explicit verbally. What do students think when they see headlines that decry fraud,…

This paper briefly reviews the concept of cognitive style and then analyzes Witkin's theory on Psychological Differentiation, examining its possible use for research in art education. Cognitive style refers to individual differences in the processes by which knowledge is acquired. According to Witkin's Psychological Differentiation theory,…

An informal survey identified qualities that make a good mentor. Some traits mentioned repeatedly as being important include: unselfishness, leading by example, setting high ethical standards, being a cheerleader, being a critic, challenging people to be their best, and honesty. (MLW)

Dossiers presented for awarding the AAHE Faculty Salute honors are discussed. The common characteristic in the faculty singled out for "making a difference" was a love of teaching. These professors were heavily involved in assisting student learning in various ways. (MLW)