The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an augmentative and alternative communication program (Frost & Bondy, 2002). Although PECS has been effectively used to teach functional requesting skills for children with autism, mental retardation, visual impairment, and physical disabilities (e.g., Anderson, Moore, & Bourne, 2007; Chambers &…

Presented is a rationale for implementing early transdisciplinary intervention in behalf of blind and visually handicapped, mentally retarded infants. (Author/BD)

This article offers a set of principles, procedures, and special considerations for teaching students who are deaf-blind with cognitive disabilities to make their own choices during mealtimes. The article shows how a typical daily activity can be used to teach choice making and how this skill can be increased in complexity as the student…

Presented is the case study of a multiply handicapped institutionalized boy (3.8 years old) with presenting problems of self-injury, refusing food, and inability to walk. (IM)

A community-based social-learning program that combined behavior modification with cognitive intervention was used to help an adult male with a history of aggressive, antisocial behavior develop self-management skills. Results showed a significant decline in physical and nonphysical aggression, allowing the man to maintain competitive employment…

Two experiments were conducted to train six severely multihandicapped students (ages 15 to 23) with hearing impairments to put on their own hearing aids independently, and to provide an empirical evaluation of a comprehensive instructional program for putting on a hearing aid by assessing acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of that skill…

Case studies are presented of three individuals with severe communication impairments who had been judged to be intellectually impaired but revealed unexpected achievements after training in nonspeech communication. The communication training used facilitation to circumvent hand function impairments. (JDD)

Four mentally retarded children (ages 4-11), 3 with autism, were successfully taught various adaptive behaviors for self-care skills. Training procedures involved the whole-task method and included modeling, verbal instructions, prompting, and edible and social reinforcement. (Author/JDD)

Potentials of three classifications of rubella deaf blind children are discussed. Potentials for children at the middle trainable level and below are discussed for the areas of communication skills, daily living skills, mobility and orientation, vocational effort, and self-control and social interaction. For children in the upper trainable through…

This report describes a project which surveyed providers and purchasers of nursing services within the National Health Service in England on what is available and what is needed in staff training for those working with individuals having mental retardation and challenging behaviors and/or mental illness. Section 1 describes the methodology of the…

Six high school students with multiple disabilities, including mental retardation, were taught community living skills through the establishment of a shopping service for people who were elderly or who had disabilities. Students increased their competence in community survival skills and also experienced a new role as helper. (JDD)

The bibliography contains 150 annotated citations of research articles on individuals with mental retardation who were studied in relation to their physical activity settings. Citations provide information on the title, author, journal or related document in which the article appears, and the content or focus of the article. Citations are indexed…

Included in the publication are 10 articles on developing basic skills in severely and profoundly handicapped children. The first paper focuses on the development of object permanence, a basic cognitive skill, while the second and third review procedures for developing self care skills (toileting and eating). A fourth paper discusses an…

Presented is a training program for paraprofessional personnel serving as classroom assistants with multi-handicapped mentally handicapped school-age children. It is noted that this model training packet, T.A.S.K. (Training Assistants for Special Kids) was developed by Cold Spring School, Indianapolis, Indiana, for training of their special…