The guide presents a non-technical approach to adapting battery-operated and electrical devices for persons with severe handicapping conditions. The material was developed through Project REACH (Reconstructive Equipment Adaptations for Children with Handicaps). Chapter 1 presents rationales for the use of adapted switches and devices, including…

The paper describes ways in which parents can help their learning disabled children at home. Suggestions touch upon establishing a set time for evening homework, a consistent place for study, involving fathers in homework, using graph paper to ease arithmetic assignments, considering options for reading assignments, using a duplicate set of books…

Computers can create an atmosphere of success for children with attention deficit disorders (ADD). Appropriate software can help to encourage creative and imaginative ideas with judgment temporarily suspended. Software which may be useful in this attempt is reviewed, and three suggestions are made for parents and teachers: (1) assemble existing…

Intended for parents of gifted and talented children as well as for teachers and administrators, the handbook provides an overview of gifted education while describing one district's program model. The district's philosophy, goals and objectives, and definition of giftedness are set forth, followed by a list of learning and behavioral…

To increase interactions and to improve communication between the school and home, the TransParent School concept was developed. The TransParent School Model (TSM) includes computer-based calling from the school and uses electronic mailboxes so parents can call and hear a message from the teacher every day. The model, first implemented in a school…

Three studies are presented which show that parents hold differential beliefs with respect to their sons' and daughters' mathematics competencies. In the first study, parents of students in grades seven and nine completed the questionnaire. In the second study, parents and students in grades five to eleven responded. The third study examined…

The yearly increase in the number of learning disabled (LD) students is considered, and it is suggested that the increase is one symptom of school systems' unwillingness to deal with the problems or underachievement. A need exists for special educators to differentiate between LD and underachieving students. Three alternatives to the problem are…

Three areas that are crucial to the future of effective, high-quality public education are: (1) encouraging good teachers; (2) including more than basics in the school curricula; and (3) promoting student volunteerism. (CB)

Parents can do a great deal to support a child's learning in any subject area, especially mathematics. This paper reviews literature discussing what teachers and school administrators can do to establish parent-teacher partnerships to enhance children's learning of mathematics. Discussion includes a developmental process, intentional planning,…

Because of escalating violence in our nation's schools and neighborhoods, childhood aggression is receiving intense public scrutiny. This article offers a systemic perspective for understanding the pervasive problem of bullying and victimization by clarifying adult attitudes toward childhood aggression; by reviewing the familial, educational, and…

This critical review examines 18 books available to the general public about learning disabilities (LD) and offers guidelines for use of these books by professionals. Books are grouped into three categories: those written from the perspective of parents and individuals with learning disabilities, those written from an LD professional's…

Preschool children experience literature early on through nursery rhymes, being read to, and tales told by parents and grandparents. This introduction to the literature of a child's culture, family, and times should be a most comfortable experience. On reaching school, however, the child will find that the demands of pedagogy become insistent over…

This collection of conference presentation handouts covers various aspects of helping parents of deaf children to become facilitators of conversational skill development. The handouts include: definitions of "pragmatics" and "conversations"; a listing of characteristics of a successful adolescent conversationalist; an…

This paper examines techniques for dealing with behavior problems in students. The Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment protect individuals' rights and must be considered in developing effective punitive consequences to control misbehaving students. Due process must be practiced in handling disciplinary sanctions. Principals and teachers can use…

The mother of a 16-year-old daughter with autism offers a parental perspective on coping with a child's disability. The paper emphasizes that through direct interaction with the child and the child's teacher and through taking an active role in the child's activities and achievements, the child's potential can be discovered and the child can be…