Thirty-one primary caregivers at group homes for clients with developmental disabilities completed a one-week workshop in behavioral theory and treatment techniques. Trainees showed increased treatment skills, but preworkshop and postworkshop observations indicated no evidence that the workshop had any effect on group home client functioning.…

A longitudinal study, since 1979, of two cohorts of young children with developmental delays concluded that developmental delay is a reasonable preschool eligibility option for special education services, that over three-fourths of such children later entered categorical special education, and that developmental delay should be viewed as a subset…

Presents one parent's perspective on what children of different abilities teach each other. The parent gained this perspective as a result of her son's experience with a developmentally disabled classmate in his fourth grade class. (BB)

Affiliations of authors publishing in six Australian journals in the field of developmental disability over several years were recorded to document the most productive centers of research. Analysis of 246 research articles indicated that the 19 most productive centers were primarily universities in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.…

A structured coaching strategy was effectively used with three day-care teachers, resulting in (1) substantial increases in delivery of behavioral support of social interactions of children with developmental disabilities; and (2) marked increases in positive interactions of socially withdrawn children. Long-term maintenance effects were also…

Evaluation of the Kent Scoring Adaptation, which determines developmental ages in several domains based on an infant's performance on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, with 27 at-risk infants supported the concurrent validity of the cognitive, language, and, to a degree, social domains of the Kent procedure but not the fine and gross motor…

Results of a functional analysis indicted that the hand mouthing of a woman with profound mental retardation was maintained by multiple sources of control (sensory stimulation and access to a leisure item). Hand mouthing, though maintained by automatic reinforcement, was also susceptible to social contingencies when exposed to them during…

To assess the psychometric characteristics of the Verbal Behavior Assessment Scale, the 15-item questionnaire was administered to pairs of caregivers of 115 individuals with developmental disabilities. Exploratory factor analysis involving 11 more participants revealed evidence concerning the distinction of three different communicative functions…

This article examines the evolution of the early childhood system, characterizing the stressors facing families of children with developmental disabilities that can adversely affect a child's development and examining the response of the early intervention system to those stressors. Discussion of future directions for the early intervention system…

Parents of 49 children with developmental disabilities ranging from mild to severe completed the Reasons for Living Inventory. No significant differences were found between men and women or between individuals in one-parent versus two-parent households. Results suggested that the experience of having a disabled child may help to strengthen…

Two studies examined effects of four setting events and two organismic variables on the social behavior of children (ages 9 and 10) with developmental disabilities and autism. Results indicated that peer dyads; cooperative peer intervention; and triads, which included two high-status nondisabled peers, were most effective in promoting positive…

This study examined effects of resource perceptions and respite use in a theoretical model of adaptation with 72 parents of children with developmental disabilities. Amount and quality of respite services indirectly affected parental depression. Both quality and respite use were related to helpfulness of the parent's social network. The strongest…

Utilizes self-report questionnaires to assess the impact of employment status and a nonspousal partner on the well-being of 148 single mothers of children with developmental disabilities. Although generally multiple roles were associated with greater well-being, the quality of the roles was more predictive. (Author/MKA)

This article discusses a family-centered approach to assistive technology assessment for young children with mental retardation or developmental disabilities and their families. After a literature review, legal definitions of assistive technology are examined, and a model is presented for supporting and involving families in technology assessment…

This study evaluated self-control and impulsivity in two nine-year- old males with severe developmental disabilities and behavior disorders. Functional analyses suggested that aggression was reinforced by food access. A differential reinforcement procedure to reinforce appropriate mands was implemented. Although aggression occurred when it…