The study assessed the turntaking skills and pragmatic language skills of 4 mildly to moderately developmentally delayed children (ages 2 and 3) and 14 nondelayed controls. Developmentally delayed children exhibited appropriate turntaking skills but a higher proportion of gestural in contrast to verbal responses to the pragmatic language tasks.…

The Division on Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MRDD) of the Council for Exceptional Children adopted this position statement concerning the revised American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) definition of mental retardation. The position statement views the revised mental retardation definition and classification as a…

Comparison of plasma levels of beta-endorphin (BE) found that levels in 8 adult autistic patients were lower than levels in 17 healthy controls, for both morning and evening measurements. Plasma BE concentrations were also significantly lower for 13 developmentally disabled patients than levels for normal controls. (JDD)

Conducted focus group interviews with parents of children with developmental disabilities, emotional disorders, and technology-supported needs. Parents discussed perspectives regarding special needs, crisis situations, and parent-professional relationships. Findings have implications for policy and practice, including need to target specific…

Discussion of the development of technologies to assist people with developmental disabilities to engage in constructive activity focuses on the development, evaluation, and use of VICAID, a system based on a simplified palmtop computer which enables a person to access pictorial instructions designed to help in the accurate completion of tasks.…

A review of applications of motion study in developmental disabilities identifies two eras of research focus in the 1990s: (1) studies establishing the effectiveness and efficiency of tasks designed with motion study principles and (2) studies examining the interaction between motion study-based task designs and other variables such as choice,…

Researchers have demonstrated that both deprivation and satiation can affect the outcome of preference assessments for food. In the current study, paired-stimulus preference assessments for tangible items were conducted under three conditions: control, deprivation, and satiation. Three persons with developmental disabilities and 3 typically…

We conducted an analogue functional analysis contrasting motor tasks with varying types of social consequences for movements associated with tardive dyskinesia (TD) in 2 men who had been diagnosed with developmental disabilities and TD. Our findings suggest that TD-related movements were not a function of social reinforcement contingencies.…

Characteristics of persons with autism and other developmental disabilities may make this population especially vulnerable to the effects of stress. Prior research on stress and its measurement in this population is reviewed. Using a single-case multi-element design, this study explores the feasibility of measuring cardiovascular responses to four…

Background: This paper reports the findings of a study of individual budgeting practices in state-financed developmental disabilities services in the United States. The study's purpose was to describe key process components and methodological variables integral to consumer-controlled, individual budgeting formats employed in state-funded services.…

Human service programs often have major problems ensuring that all direct-care staff positions are filled and keeping staff members after they are hired. Work schedules may have an effect on maintaining the longevity of staff. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a revised direct-care staff-scheduling system in community homes…

The relationship between varying blood glucose levels and problem behavior during daily scheduled activities was examined. The effects that varying blood glucose levels had on problem behavior during daily scheduled activities were examined. Prior research has shown that differing blood glucose levels can affect behavior and mood. Results of this…

When faced with a choice between two aversive events, a person exhibits self-control by choosing a smaller, more immediate aversive event over a larger, delayed aversive event. Task demands are often aversive to children with autism and other developmental disabilities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate behavioral sensitivity to…

This notebook provides guidance on the Monitoring and Technical Assistance Review System (MTARS). The manual is intended for use by Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) staff who manage MTARS and by MTARS reviewers who conduct site visit activities. The notebook is also designed to help Councils, Protection and Advocacy Systems, and…

Many everyday matching tasks taught to persons with developmental disabilities are visual-visual non-identity matching (VVNM) tasks, such as matching the printed word DOG to a picture of a dog, or matching a sock to a shoe. Research has shown that, for participants who have failed a VVNM prototype task, it is very difficult to teach them various…