Effective Technology: Integration for Disabled Children: The Family Perspective explores microcomputer-based special education intervention programs aimed at advancing mildly handicapped children and empowering their parents. The book applies the stress, resources and coping model to families with disabled children, examining specific components of the pro§ posed model through family surveys and studies, and presenting future directions for research and experimentation. The book also offers an overview of the research related to effective integration of computers into the special education system, with particular attention to a cognitive approach to skill development through various software programs. Effective Technol§ ogy: Integration For Disabled Children is intended for researchers and practitioners in a wide range of fields interested in family research and parent-empowering interventions as well as for those involved in technology integration within special education contexts.

Inhalt

Section I Effective Technology Integration.- 1 An Information Processing Model for Intervention.- Processing deficiencies.- Basic learning principles.- Training programs.- The disabled as a novice problem solver analogy.- General and domain-specific strategies.- The acquisition of metacognition.- The optimal learning environment.- Conclusions.- 2 Computer Games and Problem Solving.- Leisure activity.- Problem solving instruction.- Motivational and affective aspects.- Survey of game and simulation research.- Conclusions.- 3 Drill-and-Practice Programs.- Controlled and automatic processing.- Survey of drill-and-practice research.- Fluency in mathematics.- Fluency in reading.- Fluency in spelling.- Conclusions.- 4 Word Processing and Writing Skills.- Writing performance.- The value of writing at home.- Survey of handwriting and word processing research.- Procedural writing instruction.- Prewriting activities.- Composing activities.- Editing and revising the composition.- Individual differences and specific facilities.- Conclusions.- Section II Families: An Ecological Model.- 5 Familial Stress and Resources.- Stress.- Stress and resource interrelations.- Personality variables.- Social support.- Individual differences in parental needs.- Support and well-being.- Conclusions.- 6 Family Climate.- Family environment and child adjustment.- Climate in families with a disabled child.- Families living in the kibbutz environment.- Conclusions.- 7 Fathers' and Mothers' Roles in the Family.- Parental response as a function of genderdifferences.- The personal growth perspective.- Development of the father's unique role.- Conclusions.- 8 Empowering Families: Effective Interventions.- Empowerment.- Coping strategies.- Conclusions.- Section III The Entrance of Computers into Families.- 9 Parental Expectations.- Cognitive appraisal of parental stress.- Expectations from computers.- Sex roles.- Individual differences.- Home-school connection.- Conclusions.- 10 Bringing the Computer Home.- The diffusion of innovations.- Decision making: Purchase.- Computer usages in the home.- Location.- Software usage by various family members.- Parental characteristics as technology users.- Family member computer interactions.- Conclusions.- 11 Parental Support of Children's Home-Computing.- Support of home-computing.- Planned support.- Shared interests.- Supportive family climate.- Parents as tutors.- Characteristics of the partners.- Situational contexts.- Objections and criticisms.- Parents as tutors: An experiment.- Conclusions.- 12 Case Study: Danny R..- Danny's diagnosis and referral.- The family system.- Intervention goals.- The home-computing environment.- Training principles and description.- Results.- Conclusions.- Section IV Epilogue: Disabilities, Technology, and Families.- 13 Summary and Future Directions.- The parent empowerment model.- Future directions.- References.- Author Index.