A study was done of the attendance of 1,251 non-handicapped and 131 handicapped pupils in the Weber County, Ogden, Utah School District. This study was done at the request of the district administration. The basic questions were 1) would there be a difference in attendance of the handicapped and the non-handicapped and 2) would the reasons for absence differ as stated on excuses presented to the office. Data for the entire 1978-79 school year were tallied and analyzed. There were no significant differences in the attendance rates of the two groups. Inspection of the data showed that there was a difference in attendance of handicapped pupils who were members of classes for less than 180 days and those who were 180 day class members. No reason for this difference was revealed by the data. The data on excuses presented as a reason for absence showed more absences due to doctors excuses and illness for handicapped pupils. In depth research on the causes of absence of handicapped pupils was recommended.

The diploma work deals with the school integration of handicapped children into basic schools and with the grades of this integration. It provides the legislative backround, defines special pedagogy and outlines the theoretical essentials of the educational needs of pupils with visual and hearing impairments, pupils with communication disorder, with physical handicap and combined impairments. The diploma work also defines its objectives, characterizes the studied sample of respondents and describes the research methods and methodology. The research results are shown in tables and diagrams. The work is concluded with an analysis of the stated hypotheses.