Ten vignettes depicting either major or minor hypothetical problem situations were presented to 25 young adults with intellectual disability and 14 university students. Participants with intellectual disability tended to make fewer vigilant responses and more defensive avoidance or hypervigilant responses, compared to the university students.…

This study examined the recreational patterns of 33 individuals with an intellectual handicap. Results of the New Zealand study indicated that the overall profile tended to be similar to the population in general. Some gender differences in activity participation were observed. The role of the New Zealand Society for the Intellectually Handicapped…

Principal components analysis was employed on the Adaptive Behavior Scales with scores of 122 older (mean age 63.5) individuals with severe intellectual impairment living in England. The study found the structure of adaptive skills and interpersonal maladaptive behaviors similar to that found for younger retarded adults. Two factors, personal…

Interactional patterns of 64 institutionalized persons with severe/profound multiple developmental disabilities revealed that they learned meaning through the understanding of situational events with others. Three behavioral patterns are differentiated: interference, participation, and ambiguity. Professional understanding of the social and…

Functional analysis of the aggressive behavior of 2 boys (ages 10 and 12) with autism involved 20 brief functional assessment trials in the classroom under 3 conditions. Results showed a clear pattern in each child's aggressive behavior and suggested logical intervention strategies. The discrete-trial approach presented a practical, ecologically…

Examination of staff responses to problem behaviors in three community-based group homes found that staff tended to rely heavily on verbal approaches to address problem behavior of people with intellectual disability, using other strategies only when the initial response failed. Findings suggest that staff behavior is negatively reinforced by the…

Analysis of data from the Behaviour Disorder Scale for 405 adults and adolescents with intellectual disability revealed that subjects exhibited a mean of 14 problem behaviors per person. Factor analysis identified two general syndromes (a conduct syndrome and an emotional syndrome), raising the possibility of dealing with sets of problem behaviors…

Adaptive behavior skills of 2,144 adults with Down syndrome, aged 20-69 years, were compared to those of other developmentally disabled people. In all behavioral domains and at all levels of mental retardation, individuals with Down syndrome displayed significantly more age-related deficits than did age-matched controls. (Author/DB)

Investigation of activity patterns of four residents of a Community Residential Unit in Victoria, Australia, found that personal/domestic activities engaged 35-47 percent of residents' time, followed by sedentary activities (18-25 percent). Social interaction and indoor recreation occupied less than 9 percent of time and outdoor and social…

Seventy-five visually handicapped individuals, aged 9-22, were evaluated on the Child Behavior Checklist, School Behavior Checklist, Behavior Problem Checklist (BPC), and Revised BPC. Total scores from all four measures correlated well with each other; total scores and subfactors also correlated with such psychopathologic behaviors as aggression,…

An 8-year follow-up study in New South Wales, Australia, examined changes in adaptive and maladaptive behavior following relocation of 10 individuals with severe or profound intellectual disabilities from a large residential setting to smaller community-based facilities. The study found no discernible changes in adaptive behavior and substantial…

The domain scores of the Adaptive Behavior Scale were analyzed to investigate the factorial dimensions of problem behaviors of 106 behavior-disordered adolescents and young adults with borderline intelligence. Four major factors were identified: two identified in other studies (functional autonomy and behavior disorder), and two unique to this…