Increasing numbers of aging developmentally disabled individuals have led to a recent emphasis being placed on service provision for this population, the education of professionals working with them, and the assessment of current conditions and needs of these individuals. Through the University Affiliated Program, a project of national…

Mildly developmentally delayed 3- and 4-year-old children (N=16) were paired with nonhandicapped younger or older children to evaluate effects of companion status on social and play behavior. The subjects' peer interactions improved substantially only when paired with nonhandicapped older children. (Author/DB)

The article reviews the ways in which norm-referenced developmental age (DA) and developmental quotient (DQ) evaluation data are currently reported in preschool early intervention program evaluation studies. The concept of intervention DQ in contrast with pretest DQ is proposed as a more meaningful way to report evaluation data. (Author/DB)

Differential diagnosis of epilepsy versus pseudoepileptic seizures in the developmentally disabled by use of an eight-channel radiotelemetered electroencephalograph-video recording system suggested that traditional diagnosis on the basis of clinical description, interictal electroencephalogram, and medical history may be inaccurate. (Author/DB)

Four of eight low-functioning, developmentally delayed preschool children initially failed to demonstrate expected oddity responding. In the context of a multiple baseline across-subject design, each of the previously unsuccessful children demonstrated significant increases in the percentage of correct oddity responses immediately upon…

An expanded assessment model examining physiological conditions, durational events, and behavioral histories is suggested as one way to understand the stimulus events controlling aggression of developmentally disabled persons. Implications for more effective treatment are considered. (CL)

Two studies are reported on the assessment and training of parent-child interactional skills in developmentally handicapped mothers. The results suggest that developmentally handicapped mothers can be taught to provide more effective and stimulating interactions for their young children. (Author)

Strong evidence of overall effectiveness was found for a language intervention training program featuring parent training to facilitate early language acquisition in 11 developmentally delayed children (19-55 months old) in natural environmental settings. Gains were strongest at completion of the intervention period, but some children continued to…

Correlational results involving 60 developmentally handicaped adults indicated that a computerized cross-modal memory game had a highly significant relationship with most cognitive and motor coordination measures. Computer aided training was not effective in improving overall cognitive functioning. There was no evidence of cognitive skills being…

Among major results were that nonhandicapped preschoolers tend to select nonhandicapped friends of their same sex and age, and the same nonhandicapped preschoolers tend to select handicapped children who are older than themselves, who are more advanced cognitively than other handicapped children, and who are of the same sex. (Author/CL)

Parents' reasons for failing to keep appointments at a child behavior management clinic were investigated. Explanations given frequently included: poor health status of parent or child, inadequate transportation, competing home and work responsibilities, and sudden crises. Further research is needed to assess the effects of interventions intended…

An approach to independent living for adults with developmental disabilities features "chaperoned" condominium boarding houses which allow the residents to own their own homes while experiencing the support of other unit owners and around-the-clock staff. (CL)

Effects of a movement suppression time-out, which involved punishing any movements or verbalization while a client is in the time-out area, were evaluated in four experiments. The procedure produced a larger reduction in the target behavior in all three children and effectiveness was explained in terms of suppression of self-stimulation during…

The development of a microcomputer assessment system is described with respect to establishing its reliability, validity, utility, and cost-effectiveness. Using the system, nonprofessionals, in less than an hour, generated an in-depth inexpensive comprehensive individualized 5-10 page behavior assessment which was judged superior in quality by…