We investigated autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptomatology, hyperactivity and affect in seven genetic syndromes; Angelman (AS; n = 104), Cri du Chat (CdCS; 58), Cornelia de Lange (CdLS; 101), Fragile X (FXS; 191), Prader-Willi (PWS; 189), Smith-Magenis (SMS; 42) and Lowe (LS; 56) syndromes (age range 4-51). ASD symptomatology was heightened in…

We conducted three experiments to reproduce and extend Perone and Courtney's (1992) study of pausing at the beginning of fixed-ratio schedules. In a multiple schedule with unequal amounts of food across two components, they found that pigeons paused longest in the component associated with the smaller amount of food (the lean component), but only…

Background: Behaviour problems and a preference for adult contact are reported to be prominent in the phenotype of Smith-Magenis syndrome. In this study we examined the relationship between social interactions and self-injurious and aggressive/disruptive behaviour in Smith-Magenis syndrome to explore potential operant reinforcement of problem…

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)

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.…

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…

Over 1,000 hours of observation were recorded by 18 production supervisors, 18 mentally retarded workers, and 18 employers through naturalistic observation, self-reports, and structured interviews, respectively. Distinct problematic social situations (N=355) were identified and problematic social behavior. (Author/CL)

Behavioral tracking observations of 14 adult male residents in a school for the mentally retarded were made in an enriched and deprived setting on the ward. (Author)

A retrospective analysis of the progress of eight institutionalized subjects who had been successfully treated in overcorrection procedures 10 years earlier revealed that maladaptive behaviors of the highest functioning individuals showed the longest term and best suppression, and that staff tend to return to the status quo after the expert…

Catamenial and behavioral records of nine women with mental retardation who exhibited self-injurious behavior (SIB) were analyzed for six months. Analysis confirmed that SIB was cyclic across the menstrual cycle, with the highest frequency occurring in the early follicular and late follicular phases. (Author/JDD)

Results suggested that although overcorrection is a valuable technique in reducing stereotyped behavior in profoundly retarded adults, the overcorrection responses (e.g., restitutional acts, positive practice, functional movement training) may not increase in the absence of specific reinforcement contingencies. (DLS)

The recreation participation patterns of adults with (n=100) and without (n=100) mental retardation were compared using in-depth interviews. Adults with mental retardation reported participating in far fewer recreational activities than peers without disabilities. Similarities between the two groups were found in the types and ranking of…

The dynamics of self-injurious behaviors were examined in 8 adults with mental retardation. Analysis of trajectories of the arm movements and impact forces of head blows found a high degree of cycle-to-cycle consistency in the qualitative dynamics of limb motions, indicating the motions are often stereotyped in nature. (Contains references.) (CR)