The Autism Behavior Checklist measured autistic symptoms in 15 girls (ages 11-16) with Rett Syndrome (RS) and 14 with severe mental retardation. Girls with RS scored higher on the Sensory and Relating subscales. There were no differences on the Body and Object Use, Language, and Social and Self-Help subscales. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Suggests advantages and design considerations for outdoor settings for babies. Climate, wildlife, equipment, and the needs and natures of both babies and caregivers are discussed. Provides ideas for landscape design and structures. (SH)

Efforts are needed in teacher and school development to reshape the professional culture of teaching. Knowledge of the change process is critical for both creating and sustaining radical reform. When teachers become moral-change agents, they can cultivate powerful cultures required to work with communities in making a difference in learning for…

Identifies a function generator as an instrument that produces time-varying electrical signals of frequency, wavelength, and amplitude. Sending these signals to a speaker or a light-emitting diode can demonstrate how specific characteristics of auditory or visual stimuli relate to perceptual experiences. Provides specific instructions for using…

Background: Unusual responses to sensory stimuli are seen in many children with autism. Their presence was highlighted both in early accounts of autism and in more recent first-person descriptions. There is a widespread belief that sensory symptoms characterize autism and differentiate it from other disorders. This paper examines the empirical…

Autism is currently identified by a set of diagnostic criteria which are based on observable behaviour, denoting a pattern of impairments in communication and social reciprocity, and a tendency for restricted and stereotyped patterns of behaviour and interests. During the past eighteen years, biographical accounts have enriched the conventional…

A program was developed to improve auditory and visual stimulation and responsiveness for seven elementary school students (ages 6-7) who had severe/profound mental retardation and multiple disabilities. After initial observation, consultation, and assessment of the students, the 12-week intervention program involved auditory, tactile, and visual…

Work in the design and construction of virtual environments (VEs) is described from the standpoint of semiotic theory. It is advocated that well-constructed visual worlds can create in a person the feelings and cognitions that arise from being in the natural world and that interactions with computer-constructed VEs are mediated through signs. The…

Some children hold the belief that insects and spiders are all mere nuisances because they have never had opportunities to observe, study, and learn to appreciate how these animals live and carry out their purposes in life. Studying insects and spiders fosters children's natural curiosity about the world around them and encourages them to use…

Olfactics and an individual's perceptions of different scents play an important role in interpersonal communication. People first notice the feeling or emotion they get from a particular odor before thinking of it cognitively, first recognizing whether it is pleasant or unpleasant. The determination of whether a scent is pleasant or unpleasant is…

Each hemisphere of the brain has several primary functions that are interesting to explore in terms of all areas of creative endeavor, particularly those involving both speech/language and imagery. Therefore in preparing students to interpret and share the artisitc expression of the poet, the writer, the storyteller, or the dramatist, the teacher…

Written for parents to use in the home environment, this illustrated handbook describes the Maxi-Move program, an intensive one-year program of exercise for children of one to eight years of age, who have cerebral palsy. The program does not use physical therapy, patterning, or specific movement goals, but focuses on having fun, creating…

This article is from a USOE Report: "Seminar on the Role of the Arts in Meeting the Social and Educational Needs of the Disadvantaged, BR-7-0254, OEG-1-070254-2319.

Reporting on the development, design, and implementation of an approach for teaching reading to rural black children in the intermediate grades, this paper is organized in three sections that reflect the framework of the project. The first section discusses the delineation of the theoretical framework for teaching reading, resulting in a rationale…

This student guide for a program exploring both the harmful and helpful aspects of television viewing for children is designed around a magazine format to allow maximum flexibility to different groups using the materials. The guide is divided into seven sections: (1) an overview of the theme and contents; (2) a summary of the major learnings of…