The article advocates extension of "permanency planning" in out-of-home placements to include children and youth with developmental disabilities. Though some states currently operate programs according to the principles of permanency planning, significant changes in existing federal policy are recommended to require permanency planning…

A national survey of state agencies regarding statutes, regulations, and operating procedures for initiating and monitoring psychotropic drug regimens of persons with developmental disabilities showed that most states had more rules and regulations for persons in institutions than in community settings. (Author/DB)

Discusses a pilot project which placed two children with complex medical needs in foster family care. The specialized foster home incorporated therapeutic aides, in-home respite care, and parental visiting in the foster home setting. (RJC)

Psychiatric evaluation of 14 males (ages 3-27 years) with the fragile X syndrome found pervasive hyperactivity, impulsivity, and attentional deficits, and a significant degree of anxiety. However, diagnostic criteria for persistent pervasive developmental disorder and autism were not met. (Author/DB)

Investigates the coordination of services for children with developmental disabilities among state agencies. Results suggest that a substantial number of children with developmental disabilities and their families receive services from child welfare agencies and that service coordination among agencies relies heavily on formal interagency…

The study found low to moderate correlations between cognitive and play measures for over 200 preschool children classified as mildly retarded, moderately retarded, borderline, and language disordered. Retarded and borderline groups achieved similar mental ages on both measures while language disordered and atypical groups demonstrated marked…

A study with 10 developmentally delayed children between the ages of 52 and 80 months found that test-retest samples resulted in greater variability for lexical and morphological measurements than split-half transcripts. It was also found that 50-utterance sample segments contained 70-80 percent of the lexical information found in 100-utterance…

The article defines the component skills required to learn effectively from pictures, and reviews research on the development of those skills with developmentally disabled individuals. (Author/DB)

A conceptual model of quality of life, developed at the Centre for Health Promotion at the University of Toronto (Canada), and associated instrumentation for collecting data from persons with developmental disabilities are presented. Results from a preliminary study with 41 participants support the reliability and validity of the model's…

The self-injurious behaviors of nine subjects with developmental disabilities were observed in settings in which play materials, experimenter demands, or social attention were systematically varied. Although there was much between-subject and within-subject variability, higher levels of self-injury were consistently associated with a specific…

This paper reviews the psychometric properties, treatment utility, and conceptual basis of instruments used to identify the functions of aberrant behaviors in people with developmental disabilities. Instruments include the Motivational Assessment Scale, Motivation Analysis Rating Scale, Functional Analysis Interview Form, and Functional Analysis…

This study describes the development of the Active Treatment Client Rights checklist (ATCR), which was designed to facilitate the assessment, monitoring, and implementation of readily observable client active treatment services for adults with developmental disabilities. The ATCR was found to be highly reliable, valid, and useful in enhancing…

Assessment of 497 urban preschool children with developmental disabilities using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales indicated a strong positive relationship between adaptive behavior and intelligence if measured globally. When Vineland domains were assessed separately, this relationship varied across domains and disability groups. With…

Statistical data indicate that Scandinavia and the United Kingdom have lower rates of institutionalization of people with mental retardation/developmental disabilities than do other European Community countries and East European countries. A table shows total institutional populations, institutionalization rates, and average annual rates of change…

Describes features of specialized family foster care in Finland for children with developmental disabilities, and issues such as professionalization and training of foster parents. Includes a case study of a 12-year-old boy. Highlights features of the Finnish system which might be adapted to the American system. (BAC)