Describes an evaluation of the effectiveness of a program to convey accurate information about developmental disabilities to high school students. Describes changes in students' knowledge of and attitudes towards persons with developmental disabilities. Details an effective program for promoting awareness and understanding of disabling conditions.…

This article identifies six core elements that have empirical support and should be included in instructional programs for students with autistic spectrum disorders. They are: (1) individualized supports and services; (2) systematic instruction; (3) comprehensible/structured learning environments; (4) specialized curriculum content; (5) functional…

The effects of independent living training programs for 1,498 people with developmental disabilities were examined. After seven years, individuals who had received greater amounts of independent living services and improved/maintained their independent living skills were more likely to still live independently. There was no relationship between…

We trained parents to conduct functional analyses (n = 25) and functional communication training (n = 23) in home settings over a four-year period with 25 young children who had developmental and behavioural disorders. For 12 of the children, pre-treatment (baseline) probes and post-treatment stimulus condition probes were conducted to assess…

Prenatal cocaine exposure is an indicator for adverse developmental outcomes. To prevent developmental disabilities, an early intervention program for children birth to 3 years was developed that included three groups: center-based, home-based, and primary care comparison. The intervention was implemented across 10 years and data were collected on…

A longitudinal study was conducted on 34 children with autism to evaluate the usefulness of the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) program for Chinese pre-school children in Hong Kong. Eighteen children received full-time center-based TEACCH program training. The control group included 16…

The purpose of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of the "cover write" method of teaching word-naming and spelling to two Turkish students with developmental disabilities. A multiple-probe design across three, 5-word sets was employed to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. The "cover write" method was…

Three papers and four task force reports from a 1979 conference on the state of the art in early intervention for developmental disabilities are presented. J. Gliedman, in "Social, Psychological, and Ethical Foundations for Early Intervention for the Developmentally Disabled," applies a minority group model to the education of handicapped…

The effectiveness of independent living programs for developmentally disabled persons in Los Angeles County was examined using a sample of 33 clients (ages 18-50) who exited such programs between June 1984 and June 1986. All but one were mentally retarded; seven also had either cerebral palsy or epilepsy. Survey forms for each client were…

This paper reports characteristics of mothers in a special needs preschool program and describes features of the program. Children in the program range in mental test performance from untestable to superior and in severity of problem from mild to severe. The program provides informal assessment and parent staff discussions along with opportunities…

The peer interactions and cognitive levels of play of mildly developmentally delayed preschool children were compared as they participated in mainstreamed and specialized settings. They engaged in substantially higher rates of peer-related social behaviors and constructive play when mainstreamed. Factors affecting early childhood mainstreaming…

Follow-up testing of 110 children with cognitive and/or language delays who had participated (when ages 3-7) in early intervention programs based on either direct instruction or mediated learning principles found few differential effects by the second year post-intervention, though the overall benefits of early intervention appeared to continue.…

A study evaluated teaching a technique for self-control to three adults with developmental disabilities. Concurrent fixed-duration/progressive-duration reinforcement schedules were introduced in which both smaller and larger reinforcers were available immediately. When progressively increasing delays were introduced for the larger reinforcer,…

A program to meet training needs of personnel providing supported employment services to people with developmental disabilities in all parts of Alaska is described. The competency-based training program uses an independent learning format and master trainers. Evaluation indicated that the materials, the study format, and the master trainer model…

Background: Persons with an intellectual and developmental disability frequently face barriers in accessing preventive services in community-based health care systems. As they age into middle years, they are at increased risk for functional decline. This paper presents a description of an advanced practice nurse (APN) intervention used in a pilot…