This case study of an adult with developmental disabilities and no educational history reports on the successful literacy tutoring method used, which entails echo reading of brief passages and moving from holistic recognition of print to analysis of decoding and spelling. This approach contrasts with methods that first use small units of…

This article describes Options for Justice, an agency that provides education and training to professionals and direct services to offenders with developmental disabilities. Recommendations for developing and implementing similar programs are offered. Areas addressed include assessing need, funding, selection of program services, staffing, the…

Mechanical restraint and a contingent "stand-up" procedures were used to treat self-injurious behaviors (SIB) of a profoundly mentally retarded institutionalized adult. Treatment consisted of gradually increasing time out of restraint, providing reinforcement for not engaging in SIB, and a brief time-out/physical hold procedure contingent upon the…

The article describes medical care services of the Developmental Disabilities Center in Morristown (New Jersey), which provides evaluations, primary care, specialty services, inpatient care, health education to community programs, consultation to the state agency, and hospital staff training. Needs in cardiac, endocrine, infectious disease,…

Ethnographic methods were used to examine functions of a clique and informal leaders in a work group at a sheltered workshop for mentally retarded adults. Two leaders, an instrumental leader and a socioemotional leader, served to maintain group cohesion and allow members to act outside of direct staff influence. (Author/DB)

The use of a portable schedule prompting system to increase independence and self-regulation in time management was compared to use of a written schedule with 12 adults with mental retardation. Results supported the utility of a Palmtop computer with schedule prompting software to increase independence in the performance of vocational and daily…

This case study of an 83-year-old woman with Down syndrome suggests she is the longest surviving person with the condition. Also noted is the lack of decline in mental function and performance of activities of daily living despite the apparently universal presence of the neuropathologic changes of Alzheimer's disease in persons with Down syndrome…

The effectiveness of a mand-model plus correction procedure in developing requesting behavior by two severely or moderately retarded adults was assessed in two experiments. Both subjects acquired the behavior and maintained it (with reduced fluency) at two-month followup. (Author/DB)

This response supports previous findings by describing the experiences of the Wentham Developmental Center. This center found switching from Depakene to generic valproic acid was not associated with any change in the number of epileptic seizures. The occurrence of adverse gastrointestinal effects of valproic acid is addressed. (CR)

A survey of parents of mentally retarded children residing in publicly funded institutions found that they tended to endorse the current service model, although not without qualifications. Parents were generally not accepting of the idea of community placement, especially those parents who had never visited a group home. (Author/VW)

Adults (N=48) with mild to moderate mental retardation were interviewed concerning the skills they considered important for successful community living. Vocational and social skills were rated as most important, followed by personal, academic, and leisure skills, a ranking similar to that by the significant others questioned in a previous study.…

This case study evaluated the linguistic structure of transcripts produced by a young Finnish man using facilitated communication. Explicit criteria included patterns typical of children acquiring Finnish and those found in slips of the tongue, acquired aphasia, and specific language impairment. Findings strongly suggest that his output was…

This account of the life of a mentally retarded man describes his early institutionalized years, his failure to retain employment, and the impact of uncontrolled diabetes on his health. The man's death is attributed to his societal devaluation and to failure of the human services field to engage in "life-sharing." (JDD)

Describes the successful outcomes of a behavioral support and crisis-response demonstration project in Minnesota that was designed to prevent the institutionalization of individuals with developmental disabilities who displayed behavior problems. Results indicate the outreach support kept individuals out of institutions and did so cost…

Two case reports are presented of institutionalized women who were diagnosed as having Prader-Willi syndrome at the ages of 54 and 69. Implications are discussed for management of such persons and for program planning/funding for a much longer life expectancy than earlier realized. (Author/JDD)