The focus of responsibility for education of the severely and profoundly retarded

The current concern for the extension of a free public education to the severely and profoundly retarded has precipitated a general assumption among many persons that the public schools will play a major role in providing educational services for this population. In view of the past failures of programs for the mildly (EMR) and moderately (TMR) retarded in the public schools, the authors advocate a new concept in delivery systems and teacher training that more appropriately reflects the needs of the severely and profoundly retarded.     

Effect of EMR placement models on affective and social development

The study investigated the effects of three EMR placement models on children's social and affective development. The Barclay Classroom Climate Inventory (BCCI) was administered to 45 randomly selected classes from a population of 115 classes representing Self-Contained (SC), Selected Academic Placement (SAP), and Learning Center (LC) models. For SAP and LC children, BCCI assessments were obtained in both EMR and regular class settings. The BCCI data comprised self, peer, and teacher expectations. Results indicated that the SC setting resulted in the strongest support in terms of acceptance, and the SAP-EMR settings resulted in the fewest suspected problems. Thus it appears that stronger social support systems exist and fewer problems emerge for the children who are placed with others of similar cognitive ability.     

Factor analysis of WISC-R scores for children identified as learning disabled,educable mentally impaired,and emotionally impaired

The WISC-R scores for groups of children identified by school personnel as needing special education services were factor analyzed according to type of classification. WISC-R factor loadings were obtained for the scores of children labeled Learning Disabled, Educable Mentally Impaired, and Emotionally Impaired, as well as groups labeled Other and None. Overall, results show the WISC-R to be factorially similar for all groups, with two principal factors emerging which correspond to the Verbal-Performance structure of the test. Significance tests among mean scale scores and IQ scores yielded few meaningful differences across groups.