Alison Ford

The Critical Need for Nonschool Instruction in Educational Programs for Severely Handicapped Students

A brief historical review of educational service delivery models for severely handicapped students is provided, six learning and performance characteristics and some of their educational implications are discussed, and four instructional location strategies and some of the pros and cons of each are also addressed. The thesis offered is that placement of severely handicapped students in chronological age appropriate regular schools that are both close to their homes and in accordance with the natural proportion is necessary but not sufficient to prepare for acceptable functioning in vocational, domestic, recreation/leisure, and general community environments upon graduation at age 21. Educators and related service personnel must provide direct, individualized, longitudinal, comprehensive, and systematic instruction in a wide variety of heterogeneous nonschool environments. Indeed, decisions related to selection of nonschool instructional environments are considered so important that they should take precedence over those related to selection of skills, materials, and measurement systems.

Learners with Significant Disabilities Curricular Relevance in an Era of Standards-Based Reform

Standards-based reform is now having a direct impact on students with significant disabilities, as states meet the new requirements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for large-scale alternate assessment. This mandate for assessment and accountability of learners with significant disabilities will influence curriculum decision making for years to come. This article examines how states are responding to this requirement and stresses the need for a deliberate process that maintains the current emphasis on achieving meaningful outcomes within the context of inclusive classrooms.

Longitudinal Transition Plans in Programs for Severely Handicapped Students

• As we enter the 1980s it is astounding to be able to report that most severely handicapped students in the United States are actually receiving direct educational services. This is in dramatic contrast to the situation that existed prior to the passage of Public Law 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. If we assume that in the near future alI severely handicapped students from birth through 21 will be receiving direct educational and related services, the critical issues will then be focused upon factors related to location, nature, substance, and quality. The relevant questions will then become: Are the best available educational practices being utilized? Are critically needed services provided in the least restrictive or most habilitative environments? Are the students being systematically prepared to function as independently and productively as possible in the most varied and constructive nonschool and postschool environments?

A user's perspective on augmentative communication

During a series of in-depth interviews, an augmentative communication user reflected on the effectiveness of the devices designed for her during her school career. Data secured through 104 hours of interviews were analyzed for emerging themes. These themes indicated several tendencies: giving a disproportionate amount of emphasis to “device usage” over “speech usage,” overlooking major limitations in certain augmentative devices, and allowing professionals to dominate the decision-making process. Implications of these findings are addressed in the “Discussion” section.

Community Instruction: A Natural Cues and Corrections Decision Model

Community environments offer a rich variety of stimuli to which severely handicapped students must learn to respond. Teaching procedures are needed that will draw a students attention to the relevant cues and corrections as they naturally occur in the community. A decision model is presented which should allow teachers to intervene more systematically when students fail to respond to relevant cues and corrections.

Opportunities Available When Severely Handicapped Students Attend Chronological Age Appropriate Regular Schools

Two issues confronting those concerned with providing educational services to severely handicapped students are extremely important and controversial: (a) the locations in which services are provided, and (b) the nature of those services. Issues related to the locations in which educational and related services are provided and how they affect the range, quality, and substantive nature of those services are addressed in this paper. The basic position offered is that it is in the best interests of students, their families, and the public for handicapped students to attend, in accordance with the natural proportion, special education classes in chronological age appropriate regular schools that are close to their homes. Some of the reasons given are that regular schools are inherently more accessible, they provide enhanced opportunities for maximal participation, and they are relatively cost efficient. In addition, regular schools offer more positive psychological and social working environments, allow provision of more acceptable related services, provide critically needed benefits to nonhandicapped students and other nonhandicapped persons, and afford benefits to severely handicapped students that would not otherwise accrue.

1:1 versus 1:3 Instruction of Severely Multihandicapped Students.

This study investigated how the responses of three multihandicapped students differed in 1:1 and 1:3 arrangements. Data were collected on the motoric responses made by each student during a 45-minute snack session. In the 1:3 arrangements, the teacher instructed the students concurrently. In the 1:1 arrangements, each student was provided with 1:1 instruction for a portion of the 45-minute session and was wheeled to a free time area for the remaining portion. Results indicated that the students made more task-relevant responses and fewer counterproductive responses during the 1:3 than during the 1:1 arrangements when the data from the free time portions were included in the analysis.