Providing Effective Consultation to Students With Severe Developmental Disabilities and Their Families

Increased interest in the specialized needs of students with severe developmental disabilities has resulted in a doser examination of the service delivery system. The complex nature of services required by this population often necessitates a larger network of professionals to assist the client and his or her family. As a result of specialized requirements, the need for consultation may be increased and modification of practices may be needed. This article surveys some of the issues involved in the consultation process. Emphasis is placed on the special partnership that is required in order to provide effective services.     

Working With Students With Psychiatric Disabilities or Other Emotional Problems

The professional literature on gatekeeping in social work education has grown; however, there remains a dearth in the literature regarding how educators truly work to engage students who are experiencing a psychiatric disability or other emotional problem. This qualitative study explored the experiences of 26 social work educators from 22 colleges and universities in the United States. Practice wisdoms emerged as interwoven strategies which encourage proactive interventions that accentuate students’ strengths through socially just opportunities. Identified strategies include having an awareness of psychosocial and environmental stressors that students may be experiencing, recognizing warning signs, approaching students, and building appropriate faculty–student relationships.     

Collaborative communication Programming: Providing a Meaning-Based Curriculum to Students With Severe Multiple Disabilities

Speech and language services for students with severe multiple disabilities require a team effort. These students benefit from communication intervention which is part of normal daily routines. Current best practices for all individuals with severe multiple disabilities have focused on adult-life skills needed to access typical community settings. Speech/language services are a valuable resource to this process. Communication is both a fundamental human right and a behavior that occurs naturally across settings in the school and community.     

Using Creative Problem-Solving Methods to Include Students With Severe Disabilities in General Education Classroom Activities

Increasingly, students with intensive educational needs are receiving special education services in general education classes. This level of heterogeneous grouping poses curricular and instructional adaptation challenges. Variations of the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem-Solving process are presented as methods for meeting the educational needs of diverse groups of students within general education activities. Specific examples are provided based on field testing in elementary schools. An evaluation component and future implications are discussed.     

Dickens for All: Inclusive Approaches to Literature and Communication with People with Severe and Profound Learning Disabilities

Keith Park, a teacher of children with visual impairment and learning disabilities with the Greenwich Visual Impairment Service, describes a series of multisensory interactive drama games re-telling the story of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, following a discussion of the potential uses of literature with people with severe and profound learning disabilities.