The article reviews the use and limitations of medical and behavioral approaches (restraints, shock, drugs, punishment and aversive stimulation, reinforcement of incompatible behaviors, and overcorrection) to reduce self injury in visually impaired, mentally retarded persons. Legal and ethical considerations are pointed out. (Author/CL)

The Secondary Individualized Learning Center at the Lexington (NY) School for the Deaf emphasizes instruction of multiply handicapped students in life skills for survival in an urban environment. The curriculum focuses on independent living and work related skills in a hierarchy of work experiences from volunteer jobs to competitive employment.…

Measurement training had little general effect on either the behavior of two teachers or of their multihandicapped deaf students. However, after programing training, teachers increased their program writing and correct use of behavior modification procedures and generalized this training across pupils and target behaviors. (Author)

Six diagnostic tasks of two choice discrimination skills were used to assess 32 hearing impaired/mentally handicapped adults residing in a state institution. Two tasks measured sign discrimination skill, two measured visual discrimination, and two measured motor discrimination. (Author)

The authors outline a number of problems that educators encounter in competency based teacher education development, including the issue of generic v cross categorical training, and time and cost-effectiveness. The Project SERVE training model for teachers of the multiply handicapped, visually impaired is summarized to illustrate the functionality…

Two new techniques that were used with a group of seven blind, multiply handicapped young adults in a half-way house are described. Structured learning therapy is a social skills training technique and group assessment is a method of averaging psychological data on a group of clients to facilitate program planning based on client needs.…

Educational case studies of three multiply handicapped blind children (five to ten years old) are presented in a discussion of visual stimulation approaches. Objectives of activities such as coupling a light with a sound-producing object are described. (CL)

Recent literature concerning visual handicaps of mentally handicapped people is reviewed. Topic areas considered are etiology and epidemiology, visual acuity, color vision, and educational techniques. (Author)

The component parts of a continuum of services needed for the deaf blind individual to function in the least restrictive environment are discussed. The need for both public and private interagency cooperation for the service delivery system to be effective is cited. (PHR)

Presented in tabular form are the results of a questionnaire based on identified rights of institutionalized residents given to 24 severely retarded persons (7-46 years old) with multiply handicapping conditions. (IM)

Analysis of statewide (Oklahoma) survey data revealed that 22.5% of individuals with mental retardation who were served by the Oklahoma mental retardation system were receiving antipsychotic medication. Higher levels of medication use were found in institutional settings and Intermediate Care Facility settings. (Author/DB)

The Vermont Interdependent Services Team Approach (VISTA), a process to facilitate consensus decision making about type and frequency of support services, was tested by 11 educational teams serving seven students (ages 4-20) with multiple disabilities. Results indicate that support service decisions changed, specialists made different decisions…

Some parents of children with multiple disabilities appear to deny that their children have intellectual disabilities. Health care professionals may be challenged in working with these parents during the assessment and intervention process. This article introduces the collaborative-resource approach from family systems theory in which family…

The occurrence of dyskinetic movement disorder and its co-occurrence with stereotypic behavior among adults with mental retardation were studied in 98 adults with mental retardation. Results indicated that stereotypic movement disorder was associated with increased dyskinesia scores and that dyskinesia and stereotypy may be related by common…

Describes multiple techniques for facilitating development of initial communication repertoires for individuals with multiple disabilities, and integrates these techniques with strategies for increasing the alert, responsive behavior state through the Tri-Focus Framework, which emphasizes understanding the learner, broadening the communication…