A 10-week course designed to assist adults of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent with profound developmental disabilities to function more effectively was evaluated. Issues emerged concerning the lack of lead-time for course set-up, the inappropriateness of the curriculum, and communication and logistical difficulties. (Author/DB)

Analysis of videotapes of training procedures with 12 developmentally disabled adults in a horticultural day work program found an overall staff emphasis on selectively attending to workers' successful behavior with evidence of both efficiency and effectiveness of this approach. (Author/DB)

Satisfaction with human services and quality of life was evaluated through interviews with 247 Colorado individuals with developmental disabilities (age 0-72 years) assisted by caregivers. Consumer satisfaction and levels of integration, productivity, and independence were measured for the following services: case management, residential,…

This paper reviews the use of self-management procedures such as self-monitoring, self-administering consequences, and self-instructing with students having developmental disabilities. The paper explores definitions of self-management, various self-management procedures, effectiveness in changing behavior, and effectiveness in maintenance and…

A functional curriculum for individuals who are developmentally disabled was developed at Tohatchi Special Education and Training Center, located within the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. The curriculum guide includes a contextual framework, extensive background information, and objectives for fine- and gross-motor and language and…

This study analyzed and compared the behavioral procedure standards of 39 state departments of special education and 41 state departments of developmental disabilities/mental retardation. Results are discussed in terms of systematic monitoring of procedures, staff training, procedures to increase behavior, prohibiting/restricting procedure use,…

Describes degrees of mental and physical impairment in newborns caused by mothers' use of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol during pregnancy. Discusses infant day care and related programs which have succeeded in raising the I.Q. scores of children at risk for intellectual impairment. (DM)

In 1980, the State University of New York at Stony Brook began a program, integrated into the program of children's dentistry, to train students in care for the developmentally disabled. Management of developmentally disabled patients is provided over three years, and represents an extension of pediatric behavior management. (MSE)

The efficacy of guided compliance and high-probability instructional sequences was compared with two young children with disabilities and noncompliant behavior. Levels of compliance were higher under guided compliance than under high-probability instructional sequences. Parents were able to learn to implement treatments accurately and reported…

Relations among instruments used in community mental-health services for people with developmental disabilities were explored with 284 individuals. Correlation coefficients were evaluated for statistical significance and effect size for subtests of the Reiss Screen for Maladaptive Behavior, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, and the Adaptive…

A survey of 801 support services for adults with developmental disabilities living in community settings in Canada found a diminution of government's role in funding and guiding service provision and the emergence of private-for-profit services. Differences between nonprofit and private sectors include a greater propensity in nonprofit agencies to…

Three individuals with severe behavior disorders and mental retardation, whose destructive behaviors were being maintained by positive reinforcement, were treated using functional communication training with extinction. The case studies investigated techniques used to increase effectiveness of delayed reinforcement and to teach individuals with…

A structure of interlocking contingencies was designed to train and support managers' provision of effective feedback to subordinates, peers, and superiors at a large state residential institution for children with developmental disabilities. The system included formal scheduling of feedback, reinforcement, and goal setting. Increased feedback…

Studies of friendships in children with developmental disabilities have evolved primarily from the research on children with typical development. Children with developmental disabilities, however, present unique issues that warrant consideration such as measurement issues, developmental level, the etiology or type of disability, the experience and…

Assessed continuity and change in diagnosis, intelligence, and language skills in children with autism, Down Syndrome, and other developmental delays, identifying precursors of gains in language skills and peer engagement in mid-school years. Found that early nonverbal communication and play skills predicted initiations of peer play for Down…