Assessment of the neurotransmitter dopamine through measurement of the dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA) in adult subjects with mental retardation and with high rates of body stereotypy (n=12), compulsive behaviors (n=9), or neither (n=12) found lowest HVA concentrations in the stereotypy group and highest in the compulsive group. (DB)

Four studies analyzing body-rocking in individuals with mental retardation found: (1) rocking chairs are not necessarily preferred and produce higher amplitude rocking; (2) body-rocking characteristics were stable over a 21-month period; (3) when compared with body-rocking college students, persons with mental retardation engage in more…

The facial stereotypies of adults diagnosed as having mental retardation and tardive dyskinesia were examined through a kinematic analysis of videotaped lip and tongue movements. The high degree of movement variability found suggests that low variability of discrete properties of movement kinematics may not be a defining feature of stereotypies.…

The dimensional structure of adaptive behavior of mildly, moderately, and severely mentally retarded people was investigated using item and parcel factor analyses of the Client Development Evaluation Report with about 10,000 subjects. A stable six-factor structure of adaptive behavior was identified. (Author/DB)

This study of 12 residents of a treatment facility for individuals with mental retardation examined cycles in occurrences of self-injurious behavior (SIB) and aggression both within and across individuals. The study confirmed that such behavior tended to be rhythmical, with cycles of three-month and five-month periods consistently observed for…

The authors respond to criticism of their paper proposing a perceptual reinforcement of stereotyped movements in autistic and mentally retarded persons. The alternative theory based on neurobiological factors is judged to be insufficiently detailed and inadequate in scope. (Author/DB)

The methodology of many studies that have identified specific genetic loci for disorders associated with mental retardation is criticized as failing to demonstrate an association between the behavior phenotype and the genetic marker. A more appropriate methodology using a multitrait-multimethod approach is suggested. (Author/JDD)

Mentally retarded emotionally disturbed children (N=31) were compared on the Child Depression Inventory and the Child Behavior Profile with 31 children in a normal school setting. Correlational data showed a strong relationship between the cut-off scores for both measures suggesting that similarities exist between depression in mentally retarded…

Three models of behavioral effects of genetic disorders characterized by mental retardation were compared: (1) no-specific effect model (all genetic disorders have identical behavioral outcomes); (2) totally specific model (each genetic disorder has unique outcomes); and (3) partially specific model (two or more genetic disorders share outcomes…

The 1992 American Association on Mental Retardation definition of mental retardation is critiqued. The definition is seen as lacking precision and necessitating identification dependent upon assessment of behavioral dimensions for which there are no reliable measurement instruments. These problems, which are attributed to advocacy concerns, are…

This study examined behaviors reflecting mastery motivation in 17 young (ages 2 and 3) children with moderate and severe cognitive delays. Results supported the application of the mastery motivation model to this group of children who used mastery behaviors significantly more often than lower level exploratory behaviors. Use of mastery behaviors…

This study compared maladaptive behavior in 23 people with Prader-Willi syndrome due to paternal deletion and in 23 age- and gender-matched subjects with maternal uniparental disomy. Controlling for IQs, the deletion cases showed significantly higher maladaptive ratings, more symptom-related distress, and more behavior problems. Findings suggest a…

A survey of the families of 62 persons with Prader-Willi syndrome examined the prevalence, topographies, and specific body locations of self-injurious behaviors. Self-injury was reported for 81% of the participants. Skin-picking was the most prevalent form with the front of the legs and head being disproportionately targeted. Incidence also varied…

Clinicians need to know the likelihood of a condition given a positive or negative diagnostic test. In this study a Bayesian analysis of the Clinical Behavior Checklist for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (CBCPID) to predict depression in people with intellectual disability was conducted. The CBCPID was administered to 92 adults with…

Evaluation of the cognitive, behavioral, and adaptive functioning of 12 retarded men with fragile X syndrome indicated that fragile X men were largely indistinguishable from comparison groups. They were, however, significantly more likely to have achieved levels of adaptive functioning commensurate with their intellectual abilities. (Author/DB)