Parents in 102 families of 3- to 5-year-old children with developmental delays were interviewed concerning religion. Although direct measures of peace of mind and emotional adjustment did not differ between religious and nonreligious families, religious parents more often emphasized parental nurturance and described their child as an opportunity…

Describes federally funded personnel preparation project supporting implementation of educational and clinical sequence in handicapped, medically complex, and at-risk infant and toddler specialization. Addresses vehicles of professional development, including courses and seminars, clinical rotations, and research activities. Discusses implications…

Discusses the use of different medications for people with developmental disabilities and presents a paradigm for integrating behavior-analytic and psychopharmacological treatment interventions. The model is consistent with the least restrictive, yet effective, treatment philosophy and addresses assessment and treatment of medical issues,…

A study compared the Comprehension: Block Design IQ subtest pattern of 8 children with autism and 24 children with developmental and acquired frontal lobe disorders. Found that children with autism showed low social comprehension related to visual spatial ability, a profile which was shared by children with poorly controlled Phenylketonuria. (CR)

This award-winning article describes a research project which evaluated use of "social stories" with primary-grade children who have autism. Social stories are written to describe social situations the child finds difficult and include descriptive sentences which describe the situation, perspective sentences which explain the reactions of others,…

Analysis of the narratives of 150 Latino mothers of young children with developmental disabilities concerning themselves and disability found that most mothers portrayed themselves as good mothers in line with larger cultural notions, and viewed their children as bringing about positive transformations in their lives. Suggestions for using…

This paper reports results of a qualitative study of the workplace experiences of eight young adults with developmental disabilities. Four characteristics of supportive workplaces were identified: (1) multiple context relationships; (2) specific social opportunities; (3) a personal and team-building management style; and (4) interdependent job…

Presents suggestions to help school nurses intervene on behalf of students who demonstrate signs of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) and other autism-related syndromes. The paper describes autism and Asperger's syndrome and discusses how to help students with PDD. Two sidebars present PDD subtypes and signs and symptoms of Asperger's…

Used case-by-case matching and regression techniques to compare outcomes for parents and families who adopted children with Down syndrome and those who adopted children with other developmental disabilities. Found successful parent and family functioning, regardless of the child's disabilities. The positive stereotype for Down syndrome was not…

A study compared sociosexual attitudes of 31 adults with developmental disability, 15 with autism, and 16 with mental retardation, and 25 typical Canadians and 28 Americans. Most differences were contributed by the individuals with mental retardation who endorsed significantly fewer than 50% of sexual activities presented. (Author/CR)

This study examined whether maternal responsivity would predict the extent to which prelinguistic milieu teaching (PMT) facilitated generalized intentional communication better than a contrast small-group treatment with 58 children (ages 17 to 36 months) with developmental disabilities. If mothers were relatively responsive before treatment, PMT…

Fifty-eight prelinguistic children with developmental disabilities and their mothers participated in an experimental test of whether intentional communication elicits maternal responses purported to facilitate language development. Results indicated that treatment effects on maternal responses varied by pre-treatment maternal education level and…

This article discusses implications of the movement toward managed health care models for long-term health care services for people with disabilities, especially people with developmental disabilities. It notes possible advantages of managed care but raises issues concerning consumer choice, management and financial capacity of managed care…

This study compared immediate (after each error) and delayed (at the end of each session) error correction during sight-word instruction with 4 students (ages 7-9) with developmental disabilities. Immediate error correction was superior on each of four dependent variables. (Author/DB)

A woman with a developmental disability discusses self-advocacy, the need for self-advocates to be involved in professional organizations, and the need for professionals and society at large to be more inclusive in their attitudes and behaviors. (DB)