Here, intelligence is taken to mean scores from psychometric tests of cognitive functions. This essay describes how cognitive tests offer assessments of brain functioning--an otherwise difficult-to-assess organ--that have proved enduringly useful in the field of health and medicine. The two "consequential world problems" (the phrase used…

Knowing about dying and death is a typical part of lifelong learning, gained through personal experience with the death of loved ones, popular culture, and formal education. Sudden and unexpected death aside, adults in the general community can use this knowledge to plan for the manner of their dying. Such planning might include will making,…

Children experience grief and loss from death, divorce, parental incarceration, and similar situations of being placed in foster care or adoption. These youths may be challenged in recovery due to lacking the necessary life experience and coping skills. They may also lack the appropriate support networks to work through their grief as their…

Most research on children's conception of death has probed their understanding of its biological aspects: its inevitability, irreversibility and terminal impact. Yet many adults subscribe to a religious conception implying that death marks the beginning of a new life. Two recent empirical studies confirm that in the course of development, children…

Companion animals play various roles in people's lives and these roles can impact on loss, grief, bereavement and mourning when the animal has been lost, whether that is through death, when missing, or when relinquished. This paper considers not only companion animal owners, but also those who own farm animals and those who work in animal service…

The "Flynn effect" is a surprising finding, identified by James R. Flynn, that IQ test scores have significantly increased from one generation to the next over the past century. Flynn now brings us an exciting new book which aims to make sense of this rise in IQ scores and considers what this tells us about our intelligence, our minds…

In this article, it is hypothesized that disorganizing, disorienting, and unresolved states of mind about loss experiences, as classified by the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) coding system, may offer insight into the bereaved mind and may guide clinical treatment approaches. This article discusses pre-loss attachment organizations and the…

Aggressive and destructive behaviors are an ongoing challenge for many children, adolescents, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). What's behind these high-risk behaviors, and how can professionals help manage them? Discover the answers in this comprehensive text, the most up-to-date compendium of knowledge on…

The memorial service is becoming a common alternative to the traditional funeral. The effectiveness of the form can be determined by the degree to which each assists the bereft in dealing with loss. Memorial and funeral services are outlined. Appendices provide examples. (Author/BEF)

Evaluates an adult education course designed to provide information and promote attitudinal change regarding bereavement, terminal illness, the hospice movement, and ability to talk about death and dying. Pre- and posttests were administered. Three of the four attitudinal changes were obtained. (RM)

This report presents final 1998 data on U.S. deaths and death rates according to demographic and medical characteristics such as age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, educational attainment, injury at work, state of residence, and cause of death. Trends and patterns in general mortality, life expectancy, and infant and maternal…

Argues that children need assistance in dealing with the fundamental questions concerning evil and God. Discusses kinds of evil and God's omnipotence. Urges that the relationship of God to evil be dealt with in religious education so that both children and adults can be adequately prepared to deal with suffering and death. (KO)

Describes workshop approach for helping adults deal with loss and grief which combines one-day seminar, support system development, and a reunion of seminar participants. Explains content and activities of the workshop which is held prior to the holidays and offers suggestions for family life educators interested in offering similar programs.…

Hurricane Katrina devastated the American gulf coast, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless and without food, water, shelter, and clothing. Men, women, and children perished, crushed by the effects of violent winds across four states, or drowned in massive ocean waves and in floodwater that swamped New Orleans and made the city…

The deaths of five resident clients at the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center (New York), a residential program for profoundly impaired and medically fragile individuals with developmental disabilities, in March and April of 1989 were investigated. Methods of study included examination of medical records from the Cooke Center and other…