This study is an attempt to infuse into discussions about system accountability the notion that children can speak to issues of safety, family, permanency, and well-being in child welfare. The study utilized a cross-sectional survey design involving in-home, semistructured interviews with children ages 6 to 13 in two urban California counties. Of…

Discusses issues that arise when conducting costs analyses for child language-disorder treatments. Clinicians are urged to recognize the importance of cost-effectiveness studies to maintain control over the integrity of the studies and ensure that responsible decisions are made regarding the development and use of treatments and technologies.…

This article discusses critical components needed to ensure a durable and substantive role for self-determination in the field of developmental disabilities: a conceptually compelling and operational description of self-determination, a reliable assessment method, and documentation that efforts to improve self-determination are associated with…

This response to a previous article (EC 625 845) on the needs and challenges related to the assessment of self-determination in the field of developmental disability, identifies issues related to the use and abuse of assessing self-determination and suggests an empowerment evaluation approach to these efforts. (Contains four references.)…

This resource guide, the first of three volumes, lays out the fundamentals of outcome measurements for assistive technology. It includes the whys and hows of gathering data so that assistive technology practitioners can integrate outcomes measurement activities in their daily practice. Chapters include: (1) "Concepts and Rationale for…

Provides an example of how to evaluate an elementary school counseling program. The example described here is not all inclusive--such an evaluation would have been unmanageable. Evaluations become manageable when they are viewed as a continuous process and when specific services are isolated for scrutiny at different times. (RJM)

This paper summarizes results of telephone interviews with key personnel at 19 (out of 22) agencies receiving grants under the Center for Mental Health Services program, one part of a 5-year evaluation study examining the impact that utilizing measurable outcomes has on service systems. This component focused on the conceptualization and…

This resource guide, second in a series of three volumes, is a compilation of assessment instruments, tools, or checklists. These instruments were submitted by active professionals in the field of assistive technology and demonstrate the range of instrumentation in use today. Each item submitted is reviewed according to a standard format that…

The third volume in a series of three resource guides, this volume provides an explanation of domains of anticipated assistive technology impact across functional areas of an individual's life. A matrix grid of functional categories affected by assistive technology is provided to serve as a developmental step toward the creation of guidelines for…