Lists 17 selected films illustrating the personal and interpersonal developmental problems encountered by mentally retarded adolescents or young adults. Each citation includes a descriptive annotation. (Author/BK)

Effects of self-monitoring on generalization and maintenance of conversational skills (asking directed and nondirected questions and answering directed questions) of two mentally retarded women was examined. Following addition of self-monitoring to training programs, skills were maintained for six months including the untrained behavior of…

A study of 571 Australian children (ages 4-18) with mental retardation investigated potential behavioral risk factors for injury. Results found the prevalence of potential injury risk behaviors to be higher than for typical children and that the behavioral injury risk patterns reflected those seen in younger aged typical children. (Author/CR)

The social development of a female rhesus monkey was followed from birth until death, age 32 months. The monkey had an extra autosome and was hydrocephalic. The monkey showed serious motor deficiencies, delayed social development, poorly established dominance relationships, and heavy dependence on mother and kin. The monkey was, however, well…

Exploratory behavior of educationally mentally retarded 7- to 12-year-old children was compared to that of two independent groups of normal children matched on chronological and mental age. In a multidimensional assessment of exploration, results suggested that delays in exploratory behavior in retarded children are developmental in nature, and…

Developmental growth of residents of a university operated institution was studied over an eight-year period of time. Long-term residents received decreasing benefits over time, although shorter term residents evidenced only linear growth. The ideal duration of services was estimated as approximately three to four years. (Author)

This study evaluated whether behaviors often taught as part of social skills training for individuals with mental retardation were judged favorably by 61 community judges. Results indicated that the skills of following instructions, accepting criticism, and negotiating were relevant to judgment of social performance and likely to be reinforced by…

This paper on the problem of sex offending among individuals with intellectual disabilities examines the incidence of this problem, characteristics of intellectually disabled sex offenders, determination of whether the behavior is a paraphilia or functional age-related behavior, and treatment options, with emphasis on the situation in New South…

The Residential Checklist portion of the Adaptive Functioning Index was evaluated with 218 individuals with mental retardation in a large Australian residential facility, and found to be both valid and reliable for rating the intellectual and behavioral functioning of individuals, despite some inconsistency in the more subjectively rated measures.…

This study assessed the relationship between parent/teacher ratings of hyperactivity and developmental indices in psychiatric clinic children (ages 5-16). Findings suggest that chronological age should be considered when behavior ratings are used to assess cognitively delayed children for hyperactivity but do not support use of mental age in…

Adults with mental retardation (n=22,740) were studied to investigate age-related changes in functioning and their relation to subsequent mortality. Individuals with Down syndrome, compared to non-Down syndrome individuals with mental retardation, were at earlier and higher risk for adaptive regression whether prevalence, incidence, or mortality…

This article describes the development and validation of the Developmental Behavior Checklist for children with emotional and behavior problems along with mental retardation. The article discusses generating and refining the checklist items, results of a principal components analysis, establishing reliability and construct and criterion validity,…

Provides a technology for addressing the following questions in teaching/training exceptional individuals: (1) what to teach; and (2) how to teach it. Uses behavioral training techniques to teach and help develop functional skills. (BJV)