The public schools have taken on increasing responsibility over the last decade for providing in-school educational services to chil dren with low-incidence handicaps, children who, not very many years ago, would have been relegated to custodial care or limited to care only in the home. With the increasing responsibility for educating these children has come recognition that few of us have the requisite knowledge or skills to deliver high-quality services to these chil dren. University programs are providing more staff, but the existing staff must also be trained. We have been involved for several years, with the special education branch of the Nebraska Department of Edu cation in the provision of in-service training in the early identifi cation and assessment of handicapping conditions, when we realized an even greater need for training regular classroom teachers, administra tors, and psychologists in addition to early childhood special educa tion personnel about the nature of low-incidence handicaps and how they might be dealt with in the public school setting. Knowing the enormity and the expense of such an undertaking, we tenuously ap proached the State Department. They too were cognizant of this need and welcomed our ideas. Jan Thelen and her capable staff then took to coordinating the planning with us and the Nebraska Department of Education provided the fundings.

This is the fourth volume in the Rehabilitation Education Series. It is the first volume tobe co-edited and follows a volume on quality of life. The first few years of a child' s life sets the pattern for many issues associated with quality of life. Although intervention may at later stages enhance quality oflife, it is in these first years thatthe attitudes and systems of society can have long lasting effects. The early years are increasingly seen as the province of the educator and in children with disabilities, special education. They are already recognized as the province of the health professional. Here we attempt to take a different line re-inforcing the idea that child and family are the interacting system we serve. The needs are often multidisciplinary, but we need to recognize context as the critical marker. Thus assessment needs tobe linked to program mes and therefore programmes themselves have tobe evaluated, and environmental issues underlined. In particular the contribu tion from those with sociological interests are noted. Intervention, whether it be psychological or educational, is frequently and ideally placed in the hands of parents or the nearest caregiver. The professional becomes the processor ever mindful of the context in which needs and goals are experienced. These issues are basic to the issues of quality of life. D.R.M. R.I.B.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.

Learning disabilities are among the most common disabilities experienced in childhood and adulthood. Although identifying learning disabilities in a school setting is a complex process, it is particularly challenging in low- and middle-income countries that lack the appropriate resources, tools, and supports. This guide provides an introduction to learning disabilities and describes the processes and practices that are necessary for the identification process. It also describes a phased approach that countries can use to assess their current screening and evaluation services, as well as determine the steps needed to develop, strengthen, and build systems that support students with learning disabilities. This guide also provides intervention recommendations that teachers and school administrators can implement at each phase of system development. Although this guide primarily addresses learning disabilities, the practices, processes, and systems described may be also used to improve the identification of other disabilities commonly encountered in schools.