Explains and supports the policy statement on assistive technology devices and services approved by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division on Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. The need for the identification of appropriate assistive technology devices and services subsequent to examination of factors across multiple…

National, metropolitan, and local newspaper coverage in Sydney, Australia, of individuals with developmental disabilities was analyzed in terms of content--categorical focus, age of individuals, possibility for and means of improvement, and terminology used. Although the study found frequent use of inappropriate terminology when referring to…

This narrative describes the case of Richard Lapointe, a man with Dandy-Walker syndrome (a congenital brain malformation resulting in a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid in the skull), who was accused of homicide. The questionable practices of the police in acquiring a confession are recounted. The narrative discusses the court appeals process and…

Data are presented on the number of people with developmental disabilities who are projected to lose long-term Medicaid health care services in the year 2002 under the 104th Congress' Medicaid spending reduction proposals. A table illustrates by state the number of people with developmental disabilities receiving services in 1992 and the number…

The joint attentional processes of 15 preschool children with autism and 15 preschool children with developmental language disorder were compared during play sessions with unfamiliar adults. It was found that the children with autism monitored the channel of communication with their adult play partners 37% less often than children in the…

Provides an overview and discusses some of the implications of the 104th Congress's legislation relating to disability issues. Changes in the federal welfare programs are described as well as passage of legislation dealing with health insurance and reforms, traumatic brain injuries, developmental disabilities programs, and nursing homes.…

Compared preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders with a matched control group to investigate whether weak central coherence could account for deficits in two behaviors purported to tap capabilities fundamental to a theory of mind: joint attention and pretend play. Found that pretend play did not differentiate the two groups. Weak central…

A study involving 97 participants (ages 9-43) in the Ontario Special Olympics (SO) and their parents, found the more athletes participated in competition the more positive their general self-worth. The length of time in SO and the total number of sports were found to predict self-concept of physical competence. (Contains references.) (CR)

Ten junior high students with developmental disabilities were studied using three conditions--different listening, repeated listening, and repeated listening with immediate retells--to observe the retention and fluency of delayed retelling. Results indicated that repeated listenings of an audiotaped instruction with immediate retells correlated…

Examined adjustment of families who had adopted children with disabilities. Compared 34 families who had adopted a child transracially with 63 families who had adopted a same-race child and 13 families who had adopted both transracially and inracially. Found few differences in family functioning between transracial and inracial adoptive parents.…

The Transition Service Integration Model integrates resources of public schools, rehabilitation, and developmental disability systems. School and private non-profit agencies work together to develop employment and inclusive community activities during the student's last school year. Rehabilitation and developmental disability systems then work…

A pilot project brought 17 high school students with developmental disabilities to a college campus for job sampling. Participants were mentored by 23 college students. Preliminary data indicate the project had benefits for young adults with and without disabilities and supported the use of a community-based service-learning model. (Contains…

Maintains presumed lack of applicability of vocational development theories to persons with developmental disabilities is rooted in assumptions concerning career behavior, scope of career development strategies, and employment potential of such persons. Suggests types of involvement in career decision making that persons with developmental…

The study compared the effectiveness and efficiency of constant time delay and the system of least prompts in teaching sight words to three developmentally delayed preschoolers. Results indicated that the constant time delay procedure resulted in fewer total trials, errors, percent of errors, and minutes of direct instructional time. (Author/DB)

The movements of 2,271 residents of public and community residential facilities for the developmentally disabled were analyzed. In a 1-year period, 8.5 percent of the residents moved, and most moves featured greater integration into the community. Among moved subjects, 3 dimensions accounted for 62 percent of placement status variance: ability,…