The Journal of Special Education

This article examines the social development of students with disabilities from a developmental synthesis perspective. The developmental synthesis perspective views social growth as the integration of biological, psychological, and sociological features. Issues in the social skills deficit framework are examined along with the theoretical foundations of the developmental synthesis perspective. From this discussion, it is concluded that social interventions for students with disabilities should include a focus on the characteristics of the classroom social network as well as the characteristics of the individual. The literature on the formation of classroom social networks and their role in individuals' behavior development is reviewed. Three critical points emerge from this review: (a) Formal and informal social processes are likely to constrain the social opportunities of students with disabilities in both special and regular education placements; (b) following from these constraints, students with disabilities are at risk for associating with peers who negatively influence their social growth; and (c) such associations are likely to impede or prevent positive outcomes for social skills training programs. Implications for the delivery of educational services, as well as social interventions, are considered and future research needs are briefly outlined.

In both special education and speech-language pathology literature, it is commonly assumed that children's reading difficulties have their roots in early oral language disabilities. Data to support this assumption are most evident in studies that demonstrate a reciprocal relationship between the metalinguistic skill of phonemic awareness and word decoding. The purpose of this review was to examine the contribution of other oral language abilities to early reading performance. Specifically, we examined studies that assessed metasemantics, metasyntax/metamorphology, and narrative discourse in relation to word decoding or reading comprehension with children in kindergarten through third grade. We found that although phonemic awareness retained its prominence as a predictor of early reading skills, metasyntactic ability often accounted for significant variance. There was also an indication that narrative discourse skill is related to reading performance. We hypothesize that narrative discourse and other metalinguistic skills may gain importance developmentally once children acquire some initial skill in decoding An analysis of definitional, measurement, and theoretical issues provides direction for further study.

The development of self-management skills in an individual with Down syndrome is explored through ethnographic methodology, including interviews, observations, and document reviews. The culture of the case subject was explored to determine how her home life, family (including her twin brother), schooling, and community experiences have contributed to her abilities to self-regulate. Development of her self-monitoring skills was investigated through the memories of the adults who knew her currently and in the past. Triangulation was accomplished across and within data types and sources. Data analysis employed the constant comparative method (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). The case subject was shown to self-monitor in many ways and in different settings. Her mother's parenting strategies were compared to Vygotsky's developmental theories. Outcomes suggested that culture had a large impact on the development of self-monitoring and that early and continuing intervention and a “practical expectation of normalcy” might be keys in this development.

Natural cues were inserted with the prompt levels of a system of least prompts procedure to teach elementary students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities to use the next dollar strategy in making purchases. The transfer of generalized responding from the classroom to the community setting was monitored throughout the project. In addition, dollar equivalencies were inserted in the consequent statements as nontargeted information. The results indicate that the procedure was effective for at least 3 out of 4 of the participants.

This article critiques three features of Bronfenbrenner's (1979, 1992) ecological theory of human development in relationship to the development of children with disabilities: (a) developmentally instigative person characteristics, (b) hierarchical environmental systems of influence, and (c) the dimension of time. The study of development within the context of home, school, and community has been significantly advanced by ecological psychology. Although the ecological paradigm has been invoked in the disability literature as a framework for child, classroom, and family investigations, few studies provide a comprehensive treatment of the model. Bronfenbrenner's recently expanded theory provides a provocative framework for the study of children with disabilities. This framework includes the identification of ecological niches; that is, unique regions in the environment that differentially influence children with particular personal characteristics. Selected studies from the disability literature illustrate the incorporation of the three features into research on children with disabilities and their families. Suggestions for shifting research paradigms toward a more comprehensive approach to the study of development and change in children with disabilities are provided.

A case history involving a middle school's implementation of an integrated collaborative program for students with mild disabilities is presented as a foundation for initiating a dialogue regarding the realities of inclusion. The literature on inclusion is discussed in relation to the context of the case history, and readers are invited to respond to the issues and questions presented.