Psychological, neuroanatomical, and neurochemical parallels are drawn between autistic disorder (AD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) based on a case report of fluvoxamine treatment.The implications of this case of coincident AD and OCD are discussed with respect to nosology, pathophysiology, and treatment. (Author/JDD)

The study of 883 individuals, age 45 and older, with cerebral palsy and mental retardation, found (1) the presence of cerebral palsy differentiates this group, (2) there were more males than females at all age levels, (3) there were virtually no non-Whites in old-old group, (4) and there were decreases in seizure rates with age. (DB)

This paper presents a definition of deaf and hard of hearing children with learning disabilities; notes the incidence of children with both disabilities; outlines roadblocks to learning; describes screening, diagnosis, and assessment practices; and offers suggestions for educational programming. (JDD)

Institutionalized adults with mental retardation (74% of whom had severe to profound retardation) were assessed. Of 30 adults who had been diagnosed as having affective disorders, 4 did not meet modified criteria for affective disorder; and of 30 with other psychiatric disorders, 6 did meet criteria for affective disorder. (Author/JDD)

A study examined detailed data on 100 consecutive Special Populations Assessment and Rehabilitation Center patients and found the program to be successful in conducting interdisciplinary visual evaluations of those with multiple impairments. The types of adaptive-testing procedures used for visual acuity and visual field testing are described. (CR)

A survey of 390 residential deaf, and hard-of-hearing students, ages 3 to 24 years, in the United Kingdom, found that children without additional disabilities did not show stereotyped behaviors, though about 35% of children with additional disabilities (especially vision, learning, and/or autism) did show such behaviors. (DB)

This study assessed antecedents of severe problem behaviors of 92 adults with intellectual disability using a checklist comprising 19 scales of antecedent events scored for likelihood of preceding problem behaviors. Data analysis with clients with conduct behavior problems, emotional behavior problems, and both conduct and emotional behavior…

A study interviewed caregivers and reviewed medical records of 278 adults with mental retardation with and without Down syndrome. The adults with mental retardation had age-related disorders comparable to those in the general population, but there was an increased frequency of thyroid disorders, nonischemic heart disorders, and sensory impairment.…

This study investigated attitudes of parents (n=98) of services provided by a specialized school for which the majority of the students were gifted, had learning disabilities, or both. Parents rated services of the specialized school as being significantly more important and successful as compared to programs at previous schools. (Contains…

A review of research on the adaptive behavior of persons with both mental retardation and autism/pervasive developmental disorder finds the performances of these dually disabled individuals to be particularly poor in the domain of social skills/socialization and somewhat less poor in the communication domain. In addition, autistic mentally…

Interviews with parents of 37 individuals (ages 12-30) with Prader-Willi syndrome revealed two-thirds displayed skin picking with a frequency ranging from chronic to transient, episodic symptoms. Many individuals with skin picking also exhibited comorbid picking behaviors And individuals with excessive skin picking also had frequent tantrums and…

Clozapine, a neuroleptic drug, was used to complete a 93-week double-blind crossover trial with a 40-year-old male having profound mental retardation and sensory impairments and displaying self-injurious behavior (SIB) patterns. Findings suggest that clozapine could be an effective pharmacological intervention for some cases of SIB. (DB)

This article offers a set of principles, procedures, and special considerations for teaching students who are deaf-blind with cognitive disabilities to make their own choices during mealtimes. The article shows how a typical daily activity can be used to teach choice making and how this skill can be increased in complexity as the student…

The first in seven sets of guidelines based on the consensus of experts in the treatment of psychiatric and behavioral problems in mental retardation (MR) focuses on diagnosis and assessment. It includes the definition and levels of mental retardation, difficulties in diagnosing psychiatric and behavioral problems in the presence of MR, assessment…

The third in seven sets of guidelines based on the consensus of experts in the treatment of psychiatric and behavioral problems in mental retardation (MR) focuses on psychosocial treatment. Guidelines cover general principles, choosing among psychosocial treatments, severity of MR and psychiatric/behavior symptoms, diagnosable disorders, target…