Presents the findings of a study that was designed to determine approaches to the content of correctional-upbringing work with limited-ability children of preschool age. Considers aspects of correctional-upbringing work with preschool age children who have abnormalities in mental development. (CMK)

This case study of an adult with developmental disabilities and no educational history reports on the successful literacy tutoring method used, which entails echo reading of brief passages and moving from holistic recognition of print to analysis of decoding and spelling. This approach contrasts with methods that first use small units of…

This article reviews what is known about childhood distintegrative disorder (CDD), a clinical syndrome characterized by disintegration of mental functions and regression of acquired language and intellectual functions after a period (usually 3-4 years) of normal development. It reviews the condition's epidemiology, onset and progression,…

This study investigated the role of obstetric complications in determining phenotypic manifestations in tuberous sclerosis (TS), a disorder associated with autism spectrum disorders. Comparison of 43 children with TS and 40 unaffected siblings found children with TS experienced more obstetric complications, but these were related to mild rather…

This article suggests possible applications of experimental analyses using analogues to empirically verify results of functional assessments in classrooms for students with autism and related disabilities. Analogue assessments involve creating conditions in which antecedents and consequences are held constant and specific variables suspected to…

Handwriting problems are readily apparent to classroom teachers but may be only the tip of the iceberg for children who have significant coordination difficulties. School is a daily frustration for these children as their finished work does not reflect their abilities, they struggle with the simplest of tasks and are victimized by their peers.…

The current study describes an assessment sequence that may be used to identify individualized, effective, and preferred interventions for severe problem behavior in lieu of relying on a restricted set of treatment options that are assumed to be in the best interest of consumers. The relative effectiveness of functional communication training…

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…

Visual perception may be a developmental prerequisite to some types of social understanding. The ability to perceive social information given visual motion appears to develop early. However, children with autism have profound deficits in social cognitive function and may fail to see social motion in the same way that typically developing children…

Identification of children with developmental disabilities is the first critical step in providing early intervention services. Currently, only 20% of Taiwanese children who could potentially benefit from early intervention have been identified. One possible reason for this low identification rate is the lack of a culturally appropriate,…

Public spending for MR/DD services grew rapidly during FYs 2000-2002. This rapid growth was followed by reductions in spending for MR/DD services as the nation's economy declined during 2002-2004. However, convergent factors stimulating future expansion of funding and services for persons with MR/DD include rapidly expanding cohorts of aging…

We compared the economic well-being and maternal employment of parents whose children did or did not have developmental disabilities. This prospective study is a secondary analysis of data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, collected when respondents were aged 18, 36, and 53, on average. Although the two groups were similar at age 18, income…

The impact of caring for a child with a developmental disability on the physical and mental health of Latina and Black American women was examined. We used the National Health Interview Survey to compare the health of older mothers who were co-residing with a child who had a developmental disability to the health of same age mothers without…

Numerous instructional techniques have been used to teach sight word reading skills to individuals with developmental disabilities. The results of research incorporating paired associate instruction, in which familiar pictures are paired with unknown print stimuli, suggest that pictures ''block'' (i.e., interfere with) learners' ability to…

Doctors, nurses and other health care providers are making observational associations that individuals with existing disabilities or those who may be medically fragile are susceptible to adverse effects from toxic exposures than the general population. Because of this, the American Association on Mental Retardation has launched an Environmental…