Raises concerns about the failure of mental health service providers to address the psycho-developmental needs of people with mental retardation, especially incarcerated individuals with severe behavior disturbances and both mental illness and mental retardation. A "flight from developmental theory" is seen in most service providers to this…

This paper examines relationships and interactions among the consumer (with a developmental disability), his or her family, and agency staff as they impact the consumer's life course and lifestyle. Approaches and activities to enhance effective relationships include setting policies that support these relationships, training staff with this…

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of a 6-month course of responsivity education/prelinguistic milieu teaching (RE/PMT) for children with developmental delay and RE/PMT's effects on parenting stress in a randomized clinical trial. Method: Fifty-one children, age 24-33 months, with no more than 10 expressive words or signs, were randomly assigned to…

This study examined child developmental, program, family ecological, and demographic variables from 200 families with mentally retarded or developmentally delayed toddlers, to identify predictors of child developmental progress and parental satisfaction following participation in early intervention. Child developmental progress correlated…

A 6-year followup study was conducted for 36 low birth weight Spanish-American children (3 to 5 years old) who participated in a special intervention program. The program, designed around the Responsive Environment concept, provided educational stimulation. Utilizing teacher interviews, achievement measures, and trend analysis, the study found…

Afterschool programs can provide important benefits to all students, including those who have learning, developmental and physical disabilities. Students in afterschool programs have better grades and behavior, increased self-esteem and more positive attitudes about school. For students with special needs, afterschool programs also provide a level…

This study investigated the effectiveness of a relationship-focused intervention on the socioemotional well-being of 20 young children with autism or pervasive developmental disorder. Weekly intervention sessions encouraged parents to use a responsive teaching curriculum to promote children's socioemotional development. The intervention resulted…

A study evaluated impact of supportive paraprofessional home visiting on 88 mothers and young children with or at-risk for developmental disabilities and at-risk for inadequate parenting. Mothers who received services demonstrated moderately better mental health than controls, and their children were more likely to have an Individualized Family…

This practicum study was designed to improve the communication and social skills of 43 students (ages 14-22) with developmental disabilities by involving families in at-home treatment activities that reinforced and enhanced in-school and community-based speech/language therapy and by increasing attendance of parents at school meetings and…

This practicum was designed to train special education teachers and paraprofessionals at a private, special education facility in ways to identify precursor behaviors and antecedent events eliciting maladaptive behaviors in children with developmental disorders and behavior disorders. Staff were given five inservice sessions (totalling 10 hours)…

A report of a project that established systems of respite care and training of parents who have developmentally disabled members in their home is presented. Attention is directed to project objectives, activities, and outcomes and to the following specific components: collection and analysis of data on factors promoting utilization and…

A project was conducted at Central College of the Houston Community College System to provide office skills training to students with developmental disabilities so they can obtain employment as office assistants in the community. The Office Occupations Certificate Program was designed for this purpose. Students involved included those with mental…

A staff supervision and classroom management program to increase involvement in functional task activities (e.g., self-help, leisure, social/communication) was implemented in three classes serving 19 students (ages 11-36) with profound mental and physical handicaps. Large increases in functional task involvement and smaller increases in student…

A psychoeducational support group program was established for aging parents of 30 adult offspring with developmental disabilities, of whom 17 resided with the parents. This article describes the program's development, parents' self-reported objectives for participating, comparison of parents with and parents without their offspring at home, and…

This report presents an external summative evaluation plan for the Self-Directed Workplace Distance Learning for Developmental Disabilities Workers Project, a partnership between the Center for Advanced Study of Education and the Civil Service Employees Association, Inc., with the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental…