The present study used questionnaires to examine the perceptions of the usefulness of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) by teachers of emotionally disturbed and learning disabled children. Teachers surveyed indicated that the IEP does have some general utility for them and their students. However, the majority of respondents also indicated that the IEP does not usually assist them in planning day-to-day instruction. Additionally, they do not refer to the actual IEP document very often, nor is it particularly accessible to them. It was concluded that the IEP will not qualitatively affect the education of handicapped students unless it guides the delivery of services on a daily basis.More has been written about the Individualized Education Program (IEP) than any other aspect of Public Law 94-142. The early IEP literature focused on the potential benefits of the IEP for handicapped learners, as well as on suggestions to teachers and administrators for implementing the IEP requirement. Most of the studies evaluating rates of success in implementing the IEP for handicapped children have focused on compliance (Salett & Henderson, 1980); that is, how well districts have fulfilled the letter of the law. Perhaps more important is school districts' success in meeting the spirit of the law; that is, have IEPs truly made a qualitative difference in the education of handicapped students?The present study examined perceptions of the usefulness of the IEP by teachers of emotionally disturbed (ED) and learning disabled (LD) children. It was an attempt to extend and expand the results of an earlier study by Morgan and Rhode (1983), who reported that teachers surveyed felt that the preparation of IEPs did help them organize their time, but that IEP preparation was time consuming and made little difference in the quality of education students received. METHODQuestionnaires were randomly distributed to 250 teachers of ED and LD students in Colorado, 150 of whom completed and returned them. Teachers completing questionnaires represented both elementary and secondary schools in both urban and rural districts.The IEP process in Colorado is similar to that in most states. Additionally, over half of the teachers certified in Colorado received their initial certification out of state and many have worked out of state. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume the perceptions of teachers in Colorado are fairly similar to those of teachers nationwide. Table 1 presents the 10 questions teachers were asked concerning the usefulness of the IEP process and their responses to questions 1-6. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe teachers surveyed indicated that the IEP does have some general utility for them and their students. A substantial majority responded that the IEP usually assists them in developing educational programs and most probably would continue to write

Low social status is frequently ascribed to learning disabled children and adolescents. This article reviews published investigations of social status among learning disabled children, adolescents, and adults. Results indicate that, contrary to prevailing assumptions, not all or even most learning disabled persons are held in low esteem by their teachers, parents, and peers. In fact, some learning disabled students are popular. Therefore, as a group, the learning disabled may merely be at greater risk for attaining low social status.

It has been widely reported that an external locus of control is associated with children who experience failure. A review of the relevant literature indicates that learning disabled children, like other groups of children who have experienced failure, are more likely to exhibit an external locus of control than their normally achieving peers. In particular, learning disabled children have been found to be more likely than normally achieving students to attribute their successes, but not their failures, to external factors. The relationship of the locus of control construct to the field of learning disabilities is discussed in terms of four questions: (1) what is the relationship between locus of control and academic achievement?, (2) how is locus of control related to learned helplessness?, (3) is a change in locus of control orientation desirable?, and (4) what is the utility of locus of control for the education of learning disabled children? It is concluded that, in the course of remediation, attention should be devoted to the entire syndrome of characteristics associated with failure but within the context of academic intervention.

No abstract

No abstract