The paper provides basic information about positioning for augmentative and alternative communication, by reviewing some of the communication needs of students severely disabled by cerebral palsy. The wheelchair is proposed as the primary position for use of a communication aid, and guidelines are presented for good wheelchair positioning. (JDD)

Postural control was evaluated in 91 autistic, 166 normal, and 18 mentally retarded children using a computerized posturographic procedure. In comparison to normal children, the autistic subjects were less likely to exhibit age-related changes in postural performance, and postures were more variable and less stable. (Author/JDD)

Thirty children (ages 2-42 months) and 45 of their parents participated in this study of the effects of distance and postural position on the long-term and short-term spectral characteristics of parents' speech. Implications of the results for specific hearing losses and hearing aid selection are discussed. (Author/JDD)

The arm tremor of adults (n=32) diagnosed as having mental retardation and/or tardive dyskinesia was examined through an analysis of the acceleration properties of several arm postures. The degree of arm acceleration was increased in all subjects compared to a control group without mental retardation. Effects of neuroleptic medication were noted.…

In his ethnographic study of junior high school literacy activities, David Bloome found support for four theoretical constructs of the student-text interaction: (1) education is a process of cultural transmission; (2) reading is defined in terms of the sociocultural context in which it occurs; (3) the interpretation of behavior and of signs occurs…

This bibliography provides a general review of nonverbal communication--background and applications--in specific relation to Black American nonverbal communication. Approximately 230 entries from 140 authors, spanning the years 1932 to 1972, are arranged alphabetically by author. Professional journal articles and studies are the primary sources of…

The fact that the children with learning disorders had significantly more abnormal reflexes than did the normal children lends empirical support to the theory of minimal neurological impairment as a factor in the etiology of learning disabilities. (Author)

Interrelated conceptual and methodological suggestions for the future study of mother/infant interaction as a form of communication are given. (MP)

This study examined whether dynamic measures of postural stability differentiated stereotyped movement disorder from dyskinetic movement disorder in a severely mentally retarded population. Participants (N=20) with either stereotypy or dyskinesia movement disorders and a control group were given a goal-oriented postural stability task. Both groups…

We assessed 110 left-handed and 322 right-handed children aged from 3 to 10 years, using Bishop's card-reaching task. Manual body midline crossings were observed. A regular developmental trend was observed from 3 to 10 years: older children crossed the body midline more frequently when reaching for cards than did younger children. The factor age…

Autonomously developing organisms face several challenges when learning reaching movements. First, motor control is learned unsupervised or self-supervised. Second, knowledge of sensorimotor contingencies is acquired in contexts in which action consequences unfold in time. Third, motor redundancies must be resolved. To solve all 3 of these…

The Gentle Approach is a method for lifting infants younger than 6 months that promotes security and reassurance during adult-imposed changes in position. Developed at the Emmi Pilker National Methodological Institute for Residential Nurseries in Budapest, Hungary, the approach provides continual support and less opportunity for unprotected…

Although the first research on race and socioeconomic differences in nonverbal behavior was conducted in the 1930's, interest in these issues was not sustained. In order to further understanding of these previous studies, all the nonverbal categories that included more than three studies investigating race and class differences were examined. The…

The problem of malposture in the blind and its affect on orientation and travel skills was explored. A group of 45 students were enrolled in a standard 3-month mobility training program. Each student suffered a postural problem, some compounded by severe orthopedic and/or neurological deficit. All subjects were given complete orthopedic and…