Autism is heterogeneous at many levels, including clinical symptoms and etiology. A key strategy in studying heterogeneous conditions is having large enough sample sizes to stratify into smaller groups that are more homogeneous. SPARK and Simons Searchlight are large and growing research cohorts of individuals with autism in the United States and…

Goal setting and attainment is often a targeted outcome in the intellectual and developmental disabilities field; however, standardizing the measurement of attainment of individualized goals is challenging. The purpose of this article is to introduce a four-domain framework that provides a series of questions to research and evaluation teams in…

We describe a computer-assisted program for conducting well-body assessments of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities attending a private special education school. Classroom instructors completed daily assessments to detect the presence of bodily injuries and other skin trauma, determine the need for medical treatment, and monitor healing…

This issue, "On Counting What Matters: Finding Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Population Health Data," presents an overview of health surveillance research for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the United States. Although public health now conducts surveillance of people with…

The purpose of this article is to move the field of intellectual and closely related developmental disabilities (IDD) towards a better understanding of evidence and evidence-based practices. To that end, we discuss (a) different perspectives on and levels of evidence, (b) commonly used evidence-gathering strategies, (c) standards to evaluate…

In the United States, data on the number of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) living in institutional and other congregate care settings have been gathered and reported since 1977 through the Residential Information Systems Program (RISP) at the University of Minnesota (e.g., Prouty & Lakin, 1997). These data were…

While numerous approaches exist to gather information from families having cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds and who have children with developmental disabilities, the use of assistive technology (AT) focus groups holds great promise for professionals. This article provides an overview of a process that can be implemented in school…

The report describes tracking systems which address the need for early, reliable, and consistent identification and follow-up for children at risk for developmental disability. The systems, developed by 15 states that participated in the "Project Zero to Three" network, demonstrate how states may approach the linkages among prevention,…

Targeted to mental retardation/developmental disability (MR/DD) and vocational rehabilitation agencies, developmental disabilities councils, consumer and advocate groups, and protection and advocacy programs, this manual is designed to assist in the development of state-level data systems responsive to current accountability requirements. It also…

The current status of state mental retardation/developmental disability agency information systems related to day and employment programs for persons with disabilities is described. Data regarding the number and characteristics of persons served in various day-employment programs and the funding sources are summarized. Suggestions regarding data…

During its third year of operation, the National Council on the Handicapped continued to develop priorities for the National Institute of Handicapped Research (NIHR) and worked to identify all research on disabilities and handicaps that is currently underway. In addition, the council's Committee on Services undertook a review and assessment of…