Adaptive behavior and mental retardation are addressed in terms of their historical relationship, current definitions and concepts, and issues related to structure and content. The role of community environmental factors in the adaptive behavior of mentally retarded persons is examined. Through a case study, implications of using adaptive behavior…

This report provides an overview of the use of functional assessment in the evaluation of individuals with psychiatric disabilities. It begins by discussing the difficulties with traditional forms of assessment and the development of functional assessment, particularly in the field of psychiatric rehabilitation. The need to not rely on any single…

The quantitative synthesis of 89 correlations from 16 studies of behavioral ratings and classroom observations suggested significant problems in the areas of the construct of behavioral disorder and criterion-related validity of widely used measures of social behavior. A "components of variance" model is proposed to aid in educational decision…

Literature on seriously emotionally disturbed children who are socially withdrawn is reviewed, with particular attention given to definitions, identification, etiology, importance of treatment, and treatment procedures. Researchers' attempts to define and categorize social withdrawal are reviewed, and it is suggested that a child's behavior be…

This report summarizes activities and findings of a federally funded center at the Arkansas Children's Hospital which reviewed and disseminated literature on the identification and assessment of children with attention deficit disorders (ADD). Meetings throughout Arkansas led to the identification of interest areas, and findings are summarized for…