The last 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 medication dosing. The guidelines cover classes of medication, specific medications, usual starting daily dose, and usual daily dose range. (DB)

A study involving four adults with multiple disabilities found that they not only could be taught to engage cooperatively in tasks with clearly discriminate response components, but that they preferred forms of cooperative engagement to individual engagement. The need for structured training strategies to teach engagement is stressed. (Contains…

This article examines issues associated with the diagnosis of depressive disorder in adolescents or young adults with autism. Specific methodological problems are identified. The use of treatment response methods to clarify symptoms that may be significant in diagnosing depression in this group is discussed. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

Research on the meaning of play accelerated in the 1980s, but play in children with profound multiple disabilities is a topic, that is not discussed very often in research. In this article, play in children with profound multiple disabilities is in focus. The aim is to highlight studies on play as a tool for learning and early stimulation, and for…

In recent years, parents of children with hearing loss and various additional disabilities have shown increasing interest in cochlear implants. This article describes how the program in Hanover, Germany is attempting to respond to this interest. It discusses the selection process for children who receive cochlear implants who have multiple…

Background: The prevalence of visual impairments in people with severe and profound multiple disabilities (SPMD) is the subject of considerable debate and is difficult to assess. Methods: In a typical Dutch care organization, all clients with SPMD (n = 76) participated in the study and specific instruments adapted to these clients (requiring a…

Behavior analysis has been at the forefront in establishing effective treatments for children and adults with chronic tic disorders. As is customary in behavior analysis, the efficacy of these treatments has been established using direct-observation assessment methods. Although behavior-analytic treatments have enjoyed acceptance and integration…

This study examined the outcomes of a competing activities intervention to decrease skin picking exhibited by a 9-year-old student with comorbid diagnoses. Results of an ABCBAB design revealed that the use of student-selected manipulatives resulted in reduced skin picking. (Contains 1 figure.)

The author discusses the multiply handicapped deaf, focusing on failures to accurately identify the population and their educational needs and suggesting ways in which those needs can be met. (LS)

An art teacher describes her experiences in teaching three classes of moderately/severely mentally retarded and multiply handicapped students (6-16 years old). Instruction focused on sensory experiences which involved a variety of materials and creative activities. Lesson plans were prepared based on information gathered in a questionnaire…

Reinforcing contact with toys by providing chocolate milk odors, and tactile reinforcement helped to reduce the self injurious behaviors, feces smearing, and destructive behavior of a profoundly retarded deaf/blind hyperactive female. The underlying assumption of the approach was that increasing toy contact would result in improved alternative…

The study involving two visually impaired developmentally delayed infants, investigated the role of child/adult interaction in eliciting intentional (goal-directed) communicative behavior. It was hypothesized that child/adult interaction would increase the child's awareness of how his or her actions influence adult behavior and would lead the…

This guide, part of a series of booklets for parents of deaf-blind children developed by Project STEP (Steps Toward Effective Production of Speech), considers the use of rewards in shaping or changing the behavior of deaf-blind children. The types of rewards (e.g., food, drink, touch, action, something to listen to or look at) and selection of…

An 11-year-old spastic quadriplegic girl functioning at the profound level of mental retardation was exposed to contingent reinforcement for holding her head in an upright position. The subject, who had minimal voluntary movement and had to be properly positioned to inhibit abnormal reflex patterns, was observed while prone over a wedge bolster…