The purpose of this presentation is to trace the development of early educational intervention in the United States as a means to prevent intellectual and social retardation. It is meant primarily to summarize the value and effects of such programs and to urge their continued use and development as a primary prevention strategy and a valuable treatment approach to assist children at risk and to encourage families to seek services for handicapped children at the earliest age.

A survey of the prevalence and needs of exceptional students was carried out in Queensland Catholic primary (n = 195) and secondary (n = 40) schools. Within the overall population surveyed 3.13% possessed disabilities, 3.83% behavioural difficulties, 4.19% advanced learning characteristics, and 12.80% learning difficulties. The survey indicated that support services fell short of the demand, particularly for students with behavioural difficulties and those considered to be advanced learners. The data obtained was of the same order as that found in other state, national and international studies. The majority of principals and teachers interviewed held positive attitudes towards integration. However, this was qualified by a strong press for additional professional support, inservice training, and resources to enable the necessary enhancement of the educational experiences being offered. The survey identified a continuing need for communication and cooperation with state and private agencies and the desirability of developing a system which marshalls the available resources, both regular and special, into an efficient and feasible service delivery operation.

In his play The Life of Galileo Bertolt Brecht (1963) identifies the need for lateral approaches to problem solving. This is achieved when Andrea attempts to infuse hope in the shrunken character of his teacher Galileo, who has recanted his astronomical discoveries to the church inquisitors. Andrea provides wise counsel for those confronting the problem of disruptive behaviour in schools. He reminds Galileo that:

Children and young persons with severe behavioural disorders are attracting an increasing amount of political attention and publicity due to the disruption which many of them cause in community and educational settings. In this paper the authors examine definitions of behavioural disorders and summarize recent literature in the area. Other issues raised relate to prevalence data, and the apparent growth of the problem of disruption, the stability of behavioural disorders across time into adolescence and adulthood, and the increase in stress in teachers attributable to the presence of children with behavioural disorders in schools. Management approaches are described which hold promise of alleviating the problem for pupils, teachers and the wider community.

This study was conducted to identify the strengths and needs of deaf adults as parents of 7–18 year old hearing children. A cross sectional, descriptive design was used to gather data from a convenience sample of nineteen pairs of deaf parents and their hearing children. The Parental Strengths and Needs Inventory was administered to children in written form and to their parents in sign language via videotape along with structured interviews. Contrary to anecdotal reports about his family constellation, total and subset scores for both groups revealed above average parental success. Comparison of parents’ and children’s scores on parallel forms of the instrument indicated no significant differences, this supporting validity of parents’ scores. Interview responses compared with the content of PSNI revealed that deaf parents share the concerns of normal hearing parents but had additional concerns specific to deafness not addressed by the instrument.

The task of providing employment opportunities for students and adults with an intellectual disability is a difficult one. One of the more promising approaches is based on the supported competitive employment programs developed in the United States, particularly at the University of Washington (Rusch, 1986). In this section outlines of two Australian programs are provided as examples of the supported competitive employment approach. Full reports of both programs were provided in papers delivered at the 1987 AASE National Conference in Melbourne, by Phil Tuckerman and Jennifer Green.

The Community Options Program Employment (COPE) Project, was initiated in October 1985 by the Consultant for Students with Intellectual and/or Physical Disabilities at Blacktown College of TAFE (New South Wales Department of Technical and Further Education). It is a cooperative program in on-site training and competitive employment support, for workers with an intellectual disability.