To be taken seriously, proposals for education reform must be grounded in realities. One of these realities is that labels are indispensable in special education. Another is that special education is needed, even if general education is excellent. Most proposals for educational reform will be disastrous even if only one of their assumptions fails…

The authors examined disparities in special education labeling among children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by merging calendar year 2002 special education records and Medicaid mental health claims for 4,852 children who had been diagnosed with ADHD in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thirty-eight percent were receiving…

Stigmatizing effects of special education can be minimized by careful management of the physical environment, replication of the mainstream program wherever and whenever possible, and inter-class visitations to foster interaction. (CL)

Difficulties and inadequacies of the Warnock Report (a study of British special education) are discussed in terms of five areas: the categorization issue, loss of services if categories are abandoned, lack of guidelines for assessment, inattention to prevention of failure, and lack of content regarding curriculum. (CL)

Discusses uses of terms handicapped, disabled, and exceptional which are often used interchangeably to describe individuals eligible for special education services. Recommends the term exceptional because the other two can lead to negative attitudes toward individuals so labeled. (Author/ABL)

This paper argues the need to examine the images and responses evoked by labels applied to children, the field of special education, and those who work in the field. The paper considers whether these labels or names move the field toward its collective goal of delivering quality services to children and their families. (JDD)

The main criterion for eligibility for special education services in schools has been proof of intrinsic deficit. There are two problems with this focus: First, defining and identifying high-incidence disabilities are ambiguous and subjective processes. Second, the focus on disability has become so intertwined with the historical devaluing of…

The issue of the disproportionate identification and placement of racial/ethnic minorities in special education has been investigated extensively. One of the most useful tools in this research is the risk ratio, which compares one racial/ethnic group's risk of receiving special education and related services to that of all other students. The risk…

The first of six articles on the topic of categorical versus noncategorical special education reviews research on the harmful effects of labeling and categorizing children and introduced the next five papers. (CL)

Insists that too many marginal students are wrongly classified and segregated from regular education programs. Special education classification programs have many problems, such as lack of validity and reliability, invidious causes, and inescapable isolation. Vast sums are spent without providing institutional benefits to children. Includes 17…

In this "non-paper not prepared for the Canadian Education Association Convention," the author muses over education's absorption with overlapping special populations and wonders who is left to be average. (SJL)

Studied the stability of special education services in rural areas by examining the records of 654 students in 10 school districts over a 3-year period. More than one of five students were terminated and about one in six were reclassified. Speech-language-impaired students were most likely to change, whereas severely mentally impaired were least…

Examines the institutional construction of soft or mild disability by special education as a process of pre-incarceration in schools. Argues that labels of soft disability suspend the educational and citizenship participation of disadvantaged students. Outlines variation and inquiry as alternative concepts that may reverse the negative school…

It is argued that Christensen and others fail in their claim that learning disabilities are merely an excuse invented by schools to explain their instructional failures. Specific instances of error are discussed. A reply by Gerber and Christensen follows this article. (MT)

The view that regular education should be returned the responsibility for many services currently provided by special education is argued by M. Stephen Lilly, as part of the 1982 Statespersons' Roundtable of the Council for Exceptional Children. In addition, criticism of this view is expressed by John W. Kidd, along with comments from the 13…