Criticized are conventional special education approaches which are said to diagnose, label, and exclude handicapped children from educational services; and described is the diagnostic prescriptive teacher model developed at George Washington University in Washington,D.C. (DB)

Large numbers of black children are being inappropriately labeled as handicapped. One study in California has shown that as many as 75% of the minority students in public school programs for the educable mentally retarded were not, in fact, retarded. In many instances a student's behavior, rather than pure academic performance, was the primary…

Investigated with 258 regular or special education teachers was the effect on teacher expectations of describing mildly handicapped children in terms of labeled (learning disabled, retarded, or emotionally disturbed) behavioral descriptions or of non-labeled behavioral descriptions. (MH)

Ten key issues and obstacles pertaining to mainstreaming are discussed, including redefining the relationship between special and regular education, the schock of normalization, recognition of physical and psychological barriers, teacher attitudes, labeling, and the individualized education plan. (DLS)

In a study on the effects of labeling, 78 fourth-grade Ss from a rural school containing an integrated special-education program viewed one of two videotapes that depicted a child demonstrating various kinds of academic and social behavior. (Author/PHR)

When an older person confronts vision loss, the perceptual categories of space and time are disrupted. This forces newly blind older persons to question their ability to manipulate their environment and participate in social relationships. It makes them vulnerable to self-imposed tentativeness and externally generated labels of incompetence.…

The weight of evidence to date suggests that distinctions among traditional remedial and special education classifications do not correspond to distinctions in the instructional approaches that are needed. Direct teaching of basic skills and frequent assessment of pupil progress seem to be effective for all children with academic difficulties.…

Criticizes an anti-inclusion article by Smelter, Bradley, and Yudewitz in the September 1994 issue of "Kappan" for its misguided conclusions. In light of today's heterogeneous classrooms, the authors' assumptions about regular-education teachers' capabilities are both faulty and insulting. All children learn best in regular classrooms…

Students' willingness to befriend a mentally retarded student was investigated using written vignettes about students said to be enrolling in the subjects' school. The study population included 60 fourth grade students from 5 social studies classes in a small southern community. Students were randomly assigned to experimental or control…

A review of the legal basis for and a model of operationalizing definitions of handicapping conditions is presented along with a trend analysis of the association between operationalized criteria and stability in incidence rates. The role of Public Law 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act), Public Law 93-380, and Section 504 of…

The report presents a state-of-the-art literature review on the mainstreaming of handicapped children and youth. An overview of mainstreaming is presented, along with an historical perspective that includes discussions of such aspects as legal impetus and reaction to labeling. Methodological issues considered include the presence of intervening…

Judicial pronouncements and legislative acts in recent years have established the responsibility of schools to provide educational services for each child, preferably in the educational mainstream. Mainstreaming represents an effort to provide equal opportunities for education to all children. A brief treatment of some of the foundational aspects…

The development, influences and effects of attitudes need to be considered as they impinge on the skills and content to be developed and the environment within regular and special classrooms. This paper addresses itself to these issues. (Author/RK)

Describes recommendations of the Warnock Committee regarding the field of special education, and reports several important concepts of the 1981 Education Act. Additionally elaborates on the implications the Act has for parents whose children have special needs. Cautionary notes regarding consequences for practice are pointed out. (AS)