The role and contribution to education of physical therapists are discussed. The history of physical therapy within the public schools extends beyond the implementation of special education legislation, but the law did promote a change from the medical to a more educational focus for therapy. Guidelines are summarized on the types of physical…

Research has found that approximately 80 percent of the care received by elderly people living at home is provided by family members. Although assistance provided by informal supports can be important in sustaining the functionally disabled elderly at home, caregiving can have important negative effects on the informal providers. To examine the…

This paper discusses issues concerning inclusion of children with special health care needs in the regular classroom. Six categories of health conditions are discussed in terms of their implications for the educational setting. These are: (1) "hidden" conditions (e.g., juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, sickle cell anemia, asthma, and cystic…

In this paper, by an educator who is also the parent of a son with mental retardation, the urgent needs of families whose children have chronic medical needs in addition to disabilities are discussed. One family's efforts to maintain their severely retarded and disabled son at home are described as an illustration not only of the unsurpassed…

Prevention of dental disease is the key to improving the nation's oral health. The American Dental Association (ADA) program of prevention and control of dental disease through improved access to comprehensive care concentrates on those who have special difficulties in receiving care: the poor, the elderly, the handicapped, the institutionalized…

Home care has not consistently proven to prevent institutionalization, reduce mortality rates, reduce hospital use, or improve functional status and morale; and indeed, these objectives may be unreasonable. Rather, the purpose of home care should be to meet immediate needs of recipients which they can no longer meet themselves. Publicly-funded…

This paper explores the barriers and possible solutions toward the implementation of the goal of a coordinated service system for young children with special needs and their families. The components of the vision of a comprehensive, interagency, multidisciplinary, coordinated service system are outlined, such as interdisciplinary cooperation, a…

The collection of conference papers given by representatives of State, Federal, and voluntary agencies, and university faculty, discusses information and planning strategies aimed at maximizing independent living for the elderly. Introductory and welcoming remarks by James A. Thorson, Virginia Smith, and Frank Groschelle are included along with…

This paper reports the findings of the first annual evaluation of the Full Service Schools Grant of the Family Services Center in Gainesville, Florida. The Family Services Center is a coordinated effort among local, state, and federal agencies to provide integrated health, education, and social services to qualified families who may require a…

Revised training programs for health and education service providers are advocated that will result in greater integration of services to disabled children. Attention is directed to curricular and training needs of professionals serving the disabled and their families, as well as the efforts of the American Society of Allied Health Professions…

This study examined the involvement of special education teachers with school-linked services (SLS) programs at their California schools. Telephone interviews were conducted with 25 resource and 8 special day teachers at 33 Healthy Start elementary schools, as well as from focus groups conducted with special education teachers at 2 case-study…

This paper examines the legal mandates as well as the definitions and indicators for a family-centered early childhood system of care for children with special needs. Legislation discussed includes the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant (Title V of the Social Security Act). Various definitions…

This paper argues that there is a critical need to reframe the fundamental policy questions which fragment early childhood intervention services and health care, in order to construct an integrated system of comprehensive services that includes basic health care and developmental support for all children and their families and that provides…

Infanticide in the United States today usually happens in the hospital. Occasionally, handicapped infants are killed by a direct act, but more often infanticide is accomplished by withholding something (for example, food, medication, surgery) that babies need to survive. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Baby Doe regulations of May 1982, and the…

Despite the availability of relevant knowledge to guide policy formulation, and in spite of financial resources appropriated to support the developmental process, policies and procedures related to child identification in Public Law 99-457 (Part H), state plans are inconsistent with both contemporary research and Congressional expectation. Eleven…