Medical charts of 150 multihandicapped children (aged 3-19) admitted to a psychiatric hospital were examined to determine the extent and characteristics of abuse/neglect. Results indicated maltreatment in 39 percent of the cases, 40 percent of whom had been assaulted by multiple perpetrators. Severity of maltreatment and severity of handicaps were…

This study assessed the validity of idiosyncratic choice-making behaviors of three children with multiple disabilities. Children were given either their "choice" of food or drink or were given the opposite. Direct observations of children's acceptance or refusal revealed the children consistently indicated choices during both conditions.…

The article presents findings of a survey of disabled populations (3,216 responses) in Wisconsin concerning alcohol abuse and disability. The survey results suggest that people with disabilities consume more alcohol than nondisabled people and some disability groups (including the blind or visually impaired) drink more than others. Assessment and…

This paper reports on two children diagnosed as having co-occurring autistic disorder, schizophrenia-like psychosis, and Tourette syndrome, and two autistic adults who had tics and episodes of schizophrenia-like psychosis. (JDD)

At an Ohio school that serves 150 multiply handicapped children, maintenance staff spread some old insecticide around a storage shed in a misguided attempt to kill rodents. Cleanup efforts cost over $15,000. Advises schools to examine their policies regarding pesticides. Lists information sources and the availability of a booklet on pest control.…

This annotated bibliography lists 170 articles, books, and other professional publications related to blindness, visual impairment, and deaf-blindness. The bibliography's scope does not include medical literature or popular magazines. The entries are arranged alphabetically by author, and an analytical subject index is also supplied. (JDD)

Data from 348 patients (mean age 37) with postacute spinal cord injury revealed that 95% reported at least 1 secondary problem, and 58% reported 3 or more. The number and severity of complications varied with time since the injury. Obesity, pain, spasticity, urinary tract infections, pressure sores, and lack of social integration were common…

Evaluation of a shared-work program found that job coach assistance to three workers with severe multiple disabilities could be reduced by assigning each worker only those job tasks able to be performed with minimal assistance while ensuring that entire tasks were still completed by combining steps performed by all three workers. (Contains…

This study examined the relationship between psychopathology and motivation in 111 participants with mental retardation and psychiatric disorder and 11l participants with mental retardation only. The former scored higher on 8 of the 15 motives and had more motives above one standard deviation from the mean of the normative sample. Results support…

This study estimated the incidence of speech delay based on a demographically representative sub-sample of 1,328 monolingual English-speaking 6-year-old children. Among six major findings were: (1) the prevalence of speech delay was 3.8 percent; (2) speech delay was 1.5 times more prevalent in boys than girls; and (3) comorbidity of speech delay…

This article criticizes the term "comorbidity" used to describe the overlap of developmental syndromes or disorders. Data from 179 school-age children are evaluated for criteria of seven disorders. Since fully 50 percent of the sample met the criteria for at least two diagnoses, the premise that these disorders are discrete categories on…

Four experiments with six students with multiple profound disabilities examined the function of behavioral stereotypies and sensory modalities maintaining them. Findings are discussed in terms of the sensory and social reinforcers that maintain stereotypy, assessment procedures used to identify reinforcers, and the interpretation of assessment…

A functional behavioral assessment was conducted to identify the maintaining function(s) of aberrant behaviors displayed by a 6-year-old diagnosed with multiple disabilities. The assessment included indirect measures such as interviews, rating scales, and direct observations such as antecedent, behavior, consequence (A-B-C) charting. These…

This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of an online professional development course designed to develop an understanding of the foundations, perspectives, and strategies used by key disciplines (e.g., occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, early childhood special education, visual…

In an earlier study of disabled graduates from campus-based institutions in the UK, students who had previously declared that they had an unseen disability were less likely to obtain good degrees (with first-class or upper second-class honours). The present study investigated the role of disability as a factor in the attainment and experiences of…