Many preschool children with developmental delays in cognition and language are in the preoperational stage as defined by Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development. The preoperational stage is divided into the preconceptual and the intuitive phases. During the preconceptual phase, the preschooler is unable to form true concepts and often…

The author reviews the need to provide continuity of services to developmentally disabled persons and makes recommendations for the redesign of New Jersey's organizational structure responsible for personal program coordination. Limitations of existing programs are seen to involve administrative, categorical and geographic factors. Proposed are…

The directory identifies resources which provide services to cerebral palsied, epileptic, and mentally retarded citizens of Florida. Listed are names and addresses of Divison of Retardation facilities; private agencies such as the Florida Association for Retarded Children, the Epilepsy Foundation of America, and United Cerebral Palsy of Florida;…

A criterion-reference checklist of perceptual-motor and language skills designed to identify specific skills in 21 developmentally handicapped preschoolers (3-6 years old) was developed. (Author/BD)

Results of a series of three experiments with four developmentally disabled males (ages 7-13) who exhibited hand flapping and body rocking indicated that some forms of repetitive stereotyped behaviors may serve social functions (e.g., escape from aversive situations), and that teaching a functionally equivalent communicative alternative can be an…

Explored patterns of coping and adaptation in families which adapted well to birth of a child with developmental disabilities. Found positive adaptation unrelated to degree of disability or soothability, or to family income. Positive family adaptation related to well-functioning parental subsystems, with two-parent families at an advantage, and…

State plans (1984-86) were analyzed to see how the choice of child development as a priority service area was correlated with sociodemographic, health status, service program variables, and developmental disability fund allocation. Results provided no evidence that the allocation of resources to child development reflects states' needs. (DB)

Evidence of the efficacy of developmental therapy is examined through a literature review of meta-analytic and single-subject research. Future research directions for evaluating the effectiveness of early physical therapy and occupational therapy are discussed, such as criterion-referenced outcome measures and functional outcome measures.…

Many public programs providing employment services and support to developmentally disabled adults foster dependency and work disincentives and fail to provide adequate vocational service. Programs should be better coordinated, focus on transitional and supported work activities, and provide incentives to motivate clients to attain the most…

Literature dealing with parent involvement in home-based therapeutic programs for young developmentally disabled children is reviewed. Although research suggests such home based programs can be effective, professionals should carefully consider their expectations of parents as therapists, since they must also play the role of parents and primary…

The article describes and illustrates data collection methods useful in establishing social interaction objectives for improving the quantity and quality of parent social interactions with their handicapped infants. Among these are visual analysis of relationship patterns across intervention sessions, and the use of percentage for describing…

This study tested the hypothesis that 15- to 21-year-old educable mentally retarded students could successfully interact with microcomputers and show interest in using them as a learning tool. High interest levels and attention spans and positive microcomputer attitudes displayed by subjects suggest there may be unrealized potential in…

Offers survey-derived demographic, disability characteristic, living setting, and health and social service receipt and need information on 7,823 developmentally disabled persons age 53 and older. Additional information is presented by age groups and residential settings. Both similarities and dissimilarities were noted between elders in general…

Although the past decade produced great strides in rights protection for developmentally disabled youngsters, they may not be sufficient to the adequate safeguarding of children's rights. This article examines several program components that help to ensure children's rights through effective teaching and treatment methods, emphasizing training and…

Self-injurious behavior is a serious concern for individuals who must provide educational services to developmentally disabled children. This article discusses research related to the motivation of self-injury; provides guidelines for designing treatment programs for self-injurious behavior; and introduces a new nonaversive treatment, differential…