William W. Swan

Measurement references in the assessment of preschool handicapped children

William W. Swan, Ed.D. Acting Chief Program Development Branch Division of Innovation and Development Office of Special Education U.S. Education Department Washington, D.C. AS WITH many other areas of human service, those involved in special education for handicapped preschool children are struggling to make their field less of an art and more of a science. There are many indicators that progress is being made in this effort: the formulation of research and evaluation questions increasingly reflects the complexities of the developing child; increasing numbers of educational programs are based on theoretical positions and empirical findings; research and evaluation activities are becoming commonplace in many programs; and measurement activities are becoming an integral feature of special education. Though these may be considered important milestones, few if any professionals are satisfied with the fields rate of progress. While many factors impede more rapid progress in improving the identification and education of young handicapped children,

Types of Service Delivery Models Used in the Reintegration of Severely Emotionally Disturbed/Behaviorally Disordered Students.

Results are reported on a study in which the reintegration of 382 severely emotionally disturbed/behaviorally disordered students into less restrictive programs was examined to determine (a) where the reintegrated students were placed along the continuum of services; (b) the extent to which the school groups of students were related to the types of placement; and (c) the type of exceptionality identified at the time of reintegration. Results indicate that the expected continuum of services (most to least restrictive) was reversed during the reintegrative process with the predominant placement being full integration followed in descending order by resource class and self-contained class placements. Over half (52%) of the preschool group were reintegrated directly into general education, while over a third of the elementary and middle school (34%) and high school (43%) groups were reintegrated directly into general education. Of those reintegrated into less restrictive special education settings, 56% continued as severely emotionally disturbed/behaviorally disordered students, indicating that most students are not reclassified with other handicapping conditions when they are reintegrated into less restrictive settings.

Leadership for Local Interagency Coordinating Councils.

The leadership of local interagency coordinating councils was investigated by considering two questions-one concerning perceptions of leadership style on the part of coordinators and council members and a second focusing on appropriate leadership styles across school districts of varying sizes. The subjects were the coordinators and members of 33 councils in a southern state. Results indicated a distinct preference for leaders emphasizing both a high task/high relationship leadership style and a concurrent need for flexibility with multiple leadership styles for differing situations. Results also indicated consistent preference across districts, regardless of size, for leadership style. Implications and suggestions for forming councils with these leadership characteristics are provided.

State Policy and Service Achievements in Early Childhood Special Education

/Vchieving the goal of providing comprehensive services to all preschool handicapped children (ages birth through 5 years) and their families requires a proactive role by state education agencies (SEAs) in working with other state, local, and federal agencies. Many criticize the SEAs because the goal has yet to be achieved. However, it is important to recognize policy and service achievements that have been accomplished by the states in early childhood special education (ECSE) and to identify trends that support recommendations for future directions. These trends and recommendations can be valuable to SEAs, and those working with SEAs, in fulfilling the proactive roles necessary to achieve the goal. The purposes of this study were to document each states policy and service achievements in ECSE along key dimensions in 1982-1983, to identify trends by comparing these data with those from 1981 and with projected actions in 19831984, and to provide recommendations for enhancing proactive SEA roles in the future to achieve the goal of providing comprehensive services to preschool handicapped children and their families.

Implications of Current Research for the Administration and Leadership of Preschool Programs

Current research in programs for preschool handicapped children and their families was reviewed under five administrative roles---program manager, policy planner, monitor-evaluator, advocate, and trainer-facilitator. Implications for administrators include activities/skill building in affective development, family services, technology, policy analysis, educational finance, advocacy, program evaluation/research, training, and interaction with staff. Consortium arrangements and technology are suggested as two means to respond to some of the implications. Additional investigation is recommended in effective leadership behavior with administrators of preschool programs and other areas.

Building a Statewide Program of Mental Health and Special Education Services for Children and Youth

Providing effective and comprehensive mental health services has been recognized as a major goal for the health care system for many decades. Yet serious obstacles persist as deterrents to accomplishment of adequate nationwide mental health services. Large case loads, un-dertrained staff, insufficient time for treatment, lack of comprehensive interdisciplinary staffing, astronomical costs for hospitalization, and shortages of alternative, supportive living environments are some of the major problems embedded in the current mental health delivery system (Hunter & Riger, 1986). In addition, though there may be pockets of effective mental health programs in some urban communities, critical shortages of programs and skilled personnel exist in rural communities.

A Reaction to What Germany Is Providing Young Handicapped Children

Council for Education in 1974, including these principles: early intervention is an integral part of a comprehensive and holistic developmental support program for the child; intervention should begin as early as possible preferably during the first year of life; services must be provided to the family as well as the child; a multi-disciplinary team approach-educational, medical, psychological, social work-should be used in providing the services; programs should assure adequate assessment of educational and psychosocial aspects of students to prevent or reduce impairments for future development, to prevent unnecessary negative consequences, and to lay groundwork for continuing educational/special educational services; no additional financial burden should be placed on a family because of having a handicapped child. The results of the Commission were based on research with the medical, educational, and social services programs in the