This study investigated demographic and phenomenological characteristics of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in nine adults with Down syndrome (DS), and possible effects on adaptive behavior. Results suggest OCD is more common in the DS population than the non-DS population. Ordering and tidiness was the most common form of OCD found, and…

This rejoinder to critiques (EC 602 213-215) of the authors' article (EC 602 212) on stereotypy and self-injury in the disabled responds to specific objections raised, including misleading statements, failure to address other existing models, misunderstandings, and need to include neurochemical factors. (DB)

This paper reviews the concept of adaptive behavior, the etiology of maladaptive behavioral patterns in learning-disabled individuals, and age-related trends in life adjustment. It advocates the use of adaptive behavior measures to identify homogeneous subtypes of learning disabilities, to predict educational consequences, and to determine…

A three-level model explains the emergence and maintenance of rhythmic stereotypy and self-injury in disabled individuals: Level 1, internally regulated rhythmic behaviors; Level 2, stereotypy and self-injury as adaptive responses to understimulating or overstimulating environments; and Level 3, stereotypy and self-injury as learned behaviors to…

Maladaptive behavior of 43 children (ages 4-19) with Prader-Willi syndrome was compared to children with Down syndrome and nonspecific mental retardation. The children with Prader-Willi showed more frequent and severe internalizing, externalizing, and total problem behaviors. Certain maladaptive behaviors were distinctive to these children and…

Changes in patterns of maladaptive behavior related to age-associated adaptive declines were investigated in 529 adults with mental retardation (ages 30 to 84), 202 with Down syndrome. Certain maladaptive behaviors were related to the onset of adaptive declines, (e.g., lack of boundaries). Findings suggest similarities in the course of…

Two elementary school students with emotional/behavioral challenges increased task engagement and reduced disruptive behavior when allowed to choose academic tasks. The effects of choice making were distinguished from preference, by yoking a no-choice phase to a previous choice-making condition; the yoked control phase was inferior to the…

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…

Patterns of emotional and behavior problems among 360 educable mentally retarded (EMR) and 360 nonretarded elementary and secondary students were studied through factor analysis of teachers' rating scale evaluations. EMR groups could be discriminated from nonretarded groups on the aggression, attention disorder, and anxiety/inferiority factors.…