We examined the use of functional analysis methodologies to identify the environmental determinants of challenging behaviour for two students with severe disabilities. With one student the functional analysis was conducted in an outpatient clinic which was removed from the school setting. The functional analysis was conducted in the classroom setting with the other student. These assessments produced clear hypotheses regarding the controlling contingencies for challenging behaviour with both students. Individualised support plans were then developed and were successfully implemented by classroom personnel. The results of this study are discussed in terms of using a flexible approach to functional assessment in schools based on the individual characteristics of the student and the classroom context.

Robert and Louise eagerly anticipated the arrival of their first child, and when Clare was born they were elated. Their joy lasted on a few sort moments. Clare’s physical disability was obvious – only one ear, her chin depressed into her neck. The paediatrician advised an emergency tracheotomy.

Numbed with shock, Robert and Louise agreed to the operation. During the operation, Clare lost consciousness for 15 minutes. In spite of this she survived. As feeding was clearly going to be a problem, a nasogatric tube was fitted.

Stereotyped hand mannerisms are a defining characteristic of Rett syndrome. This study examined the effects of social interaction/activity on the frequency of stereotyped hand mannerisms in seven individuals with Rett syndrome. The percentage of 15 s intervals with stereotyped hand mannerisms was recorded during repeated 10 min sessions under two conditions in an ABAB reversal design. The High Social Interaction/Activity condition occurred during a mealtime when the individuals also received high levels of social interaction from a staff person. In the second, Low Social Interaction condition, a staff person was present but did not interact with the individual and no activities were presented. The trend was for more Stereotypic hand movement in the Low Social Interaction/Activity condition. However, there was a considerable amount of individual and within condition variability. The results suggest a need for individual assessment in order to develop educational interventions to attenuate stereotyped hand mannerisms in persons with Rett syndrome.

High school Support Teachers (Learning Difficulties) (STLDs) have a strategic role in enhancing outcomes for students with learning difficulties. This paper will explore the ways in which STLDs work. Firstly, this paper will discuss the four main ways in which STLDs may work, which combination of these ways is considered as best practice from the research literature and which ways of working are suggested in NSW government policy and support documents. It has been suggested by several research studies that some STLDs in NSW do not work in ways that are consistent with best practice and policy. There may be many reasons for this, however, this paper explores the possibility that particular school factors influence the work of STLDs. Each school factor is described and its possible influence on the way STLDs work is illustrated. This paper concludes with possibilities for modifying school factors where these factors may be negatively affecting the way in which a STLD works. Ultimately, the improved effectiveness of a STLD will impact on the education of students with learning difficulties.

Our knowledge of effective practices for improving the academic achievement of students in the primary and elementary years has increased dramatically in the last decade (Simmons & Kameenui, in press; Stringfield, in press). However, implementing an effective practice in one classroom or in a research context is very different from implementing and sustaining effective practice at the school‐building level. There is a great deal of collective wailing in the field these days about the feeble attempts to translate research into effective practice (Malouf & Schiller, 1995) that improves reading achievement in students who are at serious academic risk.

The effect of an aided graphic augmentative communication system on communication and speech in a 4‐year 7‐month‐old child with developmental delay was evaluated in this case study. An alternating treatment design was used across 2 mealtime settings (morning tea and lunch) over a 6‐week period with counterbalancing of aided and unaided conditions. Once graphic symbol use emerged, there were slightly higher levels of unprompted communication and requests in the aided condition and a lower proportion of acts contained nonsymbolic communication. There was also a higher number of different words + symbols used in the aided condition. The introduction of the graphic symbols did not appear to have detrimental effects on speech but there was no evidence of sustained increase in frequency of speech or spoken vocabulary in the aided condition. Substantial increases were noted in the number of unprompted communicative turns and range of total vocabulary over the course of the study in both conditions. The need for further research on the effects of AAC on speech and communication in preschool children is highlighted.

The generalisation of new language targets has been an elusive outcome for learners with severe disabilities. We analyse generalisation and generalisation failures by examining the influence of motivation and response competition, specifically within the context of communication targets serving a requesting function. Our examination includes a discussion of establishing operations (Michael, 1982), fluctuating reinforcer value, the emergence of communicative functions and forms, response competition, and response class phenomena. We end by offering a novel conceptualisation of generalisation with implications for clinical application.

Defining the Family: “Paul is our son. We love him and we wanted him to have an ordinary life. Not much to ask for, an ordinary life ‐ but it can seem as distant as the moon when you are struggling to live with challenging behaviour.” A mother, quoted in the Mental Health Foundation Report (1997)

This paper reports research in progress investigating parental and professional perspectives on issues relating to the education of students with high support needs, examined in the context of the perceived behaviour states of students. Students with high support needs typically have a combination of physical impairments, complicated medical conditions and severe to profound intellectual disability. The paper includes case studies on four students from a range of settings, based on the observation phase of the study. The case studies illustrate the nature of the output from behaviour states observation. It is suggested that the analysis of student behaviour states has potential for evaluating the outcomes of educational programs for students with high support needs.