Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities

The high incidence of hearing impairment found among the retarded requires the teacher of the retarded to also be a teacher of the hearing impaired. Therefore, basic audiologic considerations and specific information and suggestions are presented on: (a) types of hearing impairments, (b) the teacher's role in detection of hearing impairment, (c) the effect of hearing impairment on communication, and (d) classroom procedures.

In working with children manifesting varying degrees of communication dysfunctions, the author found that it became paramount to develop specific and select methods and materials in order for the individual child to initially conceptualize desirable abstractions. Through the dictates of the child, based on his immediate needs, the process of simultaneous sensory motor training was initiated to stimulate communication not limited to a single mode of reception or expression.

The desirability of work experience for adolescent retardates while still in school is becoming increasingly recognized in special education programs. The Work Experience Center (WEC) project demonstrated that effective cooperative habilitation programing can be incorporated in the curriculum for the retarded. The WEC program emphasizes a reality oriented experiential approach which is trainee centered and utilizes various training resources in a five phase developmental sequence. Implications for habilitation curricula planning are presented.

Teachers of the mentally retarded are presently finding that commercial companies are producing a large number of materials designed for use with exceptional children. In addition, new services such as the regional Special Education Instructional Materials Centers for Handicapped Children and Youth are being established. These movements have provided an opportunity for attacking the problem of evaluating instructional materials. Before such action can be productive, however, many problems must be resolved. This article discusses some of these problems.

In this article, Mr. Engelmann describes some of the insights into the process of reading gained through several years of study of preschool children from culturally deprived homes. There are many parallels between the learning handicaps of such children and those of young school age retarded children. This paper discusses task analysis, the breaking down of large tasks such as reading or phonic analysis into their component parts. Only when this is done can the reasons for failure be pinpointed and successful remediation planned. A very specific program for building the missing abilities and concepts is described.

This article explores two important factors which indicate the need for more sophisticated inservice training for special education teachers. It covers in detail a suggested extensive inservice training program involving the use of a model demonstration-observation classroom and the establishment of an extension course through a university or college. The inservice training program suggested is one that could be ongoing and could be implemented by many different school systems.