The paper reviews investigations on the use of coloured filters in relation to possible causal mechanisms, effects on reading achievement and effects on eye movement. Studies of causes suggest a retinal - sensory after-imaging problem, possibly related to the magnocellular visual neurological pathway. Studies of reading achievement suggest this disability may be one causal factor in reading problems but improvement will be influenced by prior word attack skill and willingness to be involved in reading. Investigation of reading strategies suggest that the claimed reductions in print distortions could allow more reading fluency and enable attention to be directed to meaning rather than word identification, which in turn facilitates access to text context as a supplement to word recognition.

The recorded history of disability is long yet, apart from the past 50 years, sparse. There is anthropological evidence that early man may on occasion have cared and protected persons with disabilities. For example Hadingham (1979) cites evidence of formal burial, around 45 thousand BC, of an individual (40 years plus) with long standing physical disabilities, but in later records there is also evidence of exploitation. In more recent times the records of the American Mental Deficiency Society - A Century of Concern (Sloan and Stevens, 1976) - indicate that a variety of both benign and restrictive approaches have been tried. The ideas of normalization, vocational employment, sterilization, incarceration were all proposed though sometimes not under these headings.

Developments during the past 50 years have been rapid and have been directed to scientific, practical and, more recently, societal approaches to disability. Yet, as I have indicated, these changes had their roots in earlier developments in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Itard and Seguin developed learning strategies which forecast modern learning and behavioural management techniques. Binet’s (1916) concern with disadvantaged students paved the way for intelligence testing, but also added fuel to the development of the nature-nurture controversy which was influenced by the views of Galton and Darwin.

During the past decade, research on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has increased substantially. As the quantity and quality of research have improved, a more optimistic perspective of the disorder has begun to emerge. To address this issue, this paper summarises the characteristics and related attentional problems of children with disorders of attention. Attentional processes in theories of observational learning are discussed and the link between observational learning and social skills training are addressed. The literature review also suggests current intervention strategies, and promising avenues for future research.

The paper reviews various conditions which are associated with learning difficulties such as attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, and developmental language disorders, contending that many of these processes are developmental in nature and hence can be traced to early childhood years. The significance of “potential”; academic learning difficulties is stressed and role of preventive intervention as a model of ongoing practice for early childhood educators is proposed.

Teachers, including special educators, are generally not aware of ways of evaluating the oral language competence of their students. This research study developed and trialled a sentence repetition test containing various syntactic loadings in order to determine if this is a useful screening procedure. Results indicate that sentence repetition can discriminate developmental maturity and is useful as a screening device. Results also indicate that the oral language competence of children with mild intellectual disability is lower than that of younger children of the same intellectual age.

Establishing peer relationships is an important part of social development in children. Children who are social isolates or rejected by their peers may be at risk in their social relationships during adolescence and adulthood. Two main approaches to intervening in peer relationships have been employed over the past sixty years: the first emphasises the individual’s role as a member of a peer group, while the second focusses on improving social skill learning and performance. The research evidence is reviewed with respect to both these theoretical approaches, with the social skills training (SST) approach being generally more clearly supported. Problems with the generalisation of social skills learned in the training program to actual social situations and to improved peer relationships are seen as requiring an extension of the behavioural SST approach. A social cognitive strategy which coaches children in making self-efficacy judgements of their ability to perform a task successfully is claimed to be a useful adjunct to the SST program. Specific teaching/coaching points are included as a guide to teachers who wish to help children improve their social skills and peer relationships.

Parents of 221 school-aged children with Down syndrome completed a questionnaire about their experiences with service-providers from the time of diagnosis of their child’s disability. These experiences were compared with those of 782 parents of children with moderate or severe intellectual disability, with disabilities other than Down syndrome. Down syndrome was the earliest diagnosed disability, the average age of suspicion being two weeks and of diagnosis four weeks. Two-thirds of the children with Down syndrome had at least one additional disability, some having up to four additional disabilities. Some differences were apparent between older and younger children in the sample. Parents of younger children with Down syndrome were less likely to report inaccurate predictions about their child’s health and development. Children with Down syndrome were significantly more likely than children with other disabilities to be receiving speech therapy and significantly less likely to be receiving occupational therapy or physiotherapy. Parents of younger children with Down syndrome were more likely than parents of older children with Down syndrome or of children with other disabilities to regard an integrated school placement as ideal for their child, and their children were more likely to be in integrated settings.

This paper documents the educational placements of 22 children with Down Syndrome who were born between 1976 and 1981. While all but one child started her/his preschool education in inclusive settings, only five children remain in inclusive school settings in 1993. It is suggested that schools need to address the disabling factors in their contexts rather than focus on the child’s perceived inability to cope in inclusive classrooms as she/he matures.

While there is a great deal of activity in the area of educational computing in Australia, little is known of the courses being taught to teachers to equip them to deal with this technology in classrooms. This report summarises a survey of teacher education faculties in Australian universities, the aim of which was to determine the amount and content of special education computing courses being offered to teachers.

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is a relatively common disorder affecting mainly male children and which may seriously impact on the life of the individual and produce wider negative social effects. Despite being identified for the greater part of this century, many aspects of its major characteristics, aetiology, assessment and treatment are unresolved, and some, especially the medication treatment option, are highly controversial. The anticipated publication of the DSMIV with altered categorisation and diagnostic criteria may initially lead to further confusion. This paper reviews and consolidates the research currently available, describes the DSM IV classifications and indicates best practice procedures for assessment and treatment

The present study compared the attitudes and concerns of regular school teachers towards the integration of children with physical versus multiple disabilities. Teachers were generally positive towards integration for students with physical disabilities and only slightly less favourable towards the integration of students with multiple disabilities. Concerns about integration often depended on the child’s individual needs and degree of disability. Teachers were also concerned that integration might disrupt the classroom and indicated the need for more time and support. Educating children with special needs in the regular classroom was often said to be stressful. While the potential social benefits of integration were recognised, many teachers had observed a lack of positive peer interaction. Specific strategies to facilitate the integration of children with special needs emerged from these data and these are discussed.