Caregivers of persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) often describe the quality of the daily movements of these persons in terms of flexibility or stiffness. Objective outcome measures for flexibility and stiffness are muscle tone or level of spasticity. Two instruments used to grade muscle tone and spasticity are the…

The present study explored physical self-concept, goal orientation in sport, and self-regulation in regard to a motor task, in 75 secondary students with physical, intellectual, and multiple disabilities, who were educated in the same special education units. It was found that students with intellectual disabilities generally presented a positive…

The main goals of this study were to determine the prevalence, frequency and severity of challenging behaviour in people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). Because in the literature several health problems and sensory impairments are associated with the onset and existence of challenging behaviour, this relationship was…

The present study focused on the objective components of quality of life (QOL) of people with profound multiple disabilities (PMD). More specific, we aimed at evaluating different dimensions of QOL of people with PMD and investigating the association between their QOL and several personal (age, gender, intellectual capabilities, motor limitations,…

Favorite stimuli were automatically delivered contingent on the performance of steps by two persons (a boy and a woman) with multiple disabilities during their use of support walker devices. The study lasted about 4 months and was carried out according to a multiple baseline design across participants. Recording concerned the participants'…

Two studies assessed the reliability and utility of the Stimulus Preference Coding System (SPCS) to measure approach, avoidance, and happy and unhappy behaviors in persons with developmental disorders. Study 1 took place in an institutional setting. The nine participants were all adults with mental retardation and multiple associated disabilities.…

The effects of different types and amounts of environmental stimuli (visual and auditory) on microswitch use and behavioral states of three individuals with profound multiple impairments were examined. The individual's switch use and behavioral states were measured under three setting conditions: natural stimuli (typical visual and auditory…