Recent worldwide epidemiological surveys of autism conducted in 37 countries are reviewed; the median prevalence of autism is 0.97% in 26 high-income countries. Methodological advances and remaining challenges in designing and executing surveys are discussed, including the effects on prevalence of variable case definitions and nosography, of…

Children with intellectual disability experience a higher prevalence of dental disease, obesity, challenging behaviours, and mental health disorders compared to children without intellectual disability. Children with intellectual disability concurrently face health and social service navigational barriers that are associated with unresolved health…

This paper provides a summary of the analysis of school enumeration returns in Ohio from 1925 through 1939, prior to state-wide school consolidation, in 26 counties. Data suggests that a wide range of students with disabilities were accommodated and included in the public-school system. The paper discusses legislation, medical, and clinical…

Purpose: This study sought to identify an adequate intensity of interactive book reading for new word learning by children with specific language impairment (SLI) and to examine variability in treatment response. Method: An escalation design adapted from nontoxic drug trials (Hunsberger, Rubinstein, Dancey, & Korn, 2005) was used in this Phase…

The participation of students with speech impairments in recess can often be both challenging and rewarding for the students and teachers. This paper will address common characteristics of students with speech impairments and present basic solutions to improve the experience of these students in the recess setting. Initially the definition,…

This article presents the author's comments on Simon and Lichten's "Defining Mental Retardation: A Matter of Life and Death." Lichten and Simon (2007) argued for the use of a Total Quotient (TQ) that combines existing IQ and adaptive functioning scores into a single index. They proposed that the TQ index will improve the accuracy of mental…

A survey of state departments of education revealed wide variations in mental retardation terminology, definition, and classification variables. Demographic characteristics based on summary data for states on variables such as per capita income, educational level, and rate of illiteracy were highly related to school system prevalence. (Author)

Intended as an introduction to mental retardation, the booklet provides information on definitions, incidence, etiology, diagnostic tests, developmental characteristics of persons with varying degrees of retardation, habilitation services (such as community programs, residential care and special education), and preventive measures. (CL)

This paper summarizes results of a survey of 256,000 individuals in Spain which sought to identify those individuals with impairments, disabilities, and handicaps. The paper also examines the usefulness of the World Health Organization's classification. Results are discussed in terms of prevalence of disability, age, sex, common impairments,…

An international review and comparison of terminology development for cognitive disabilities (intellectual subnormality, mental retardation, mental deficiency, and oligophrenia) identifies cultural differences, social development, level of scientific development, philosophical orientation, prevalence, and social attitudes as factors relating to…

This article presents an overview of the definitional and boundary issues of the term "school violence" as used in research applied prevention programs and provides an overview of what is known about the occurrence of violent and related high-risk behaviors on school campuses. (Contains extensive references.) (Author/CR)

This paper examines the extent to which the 1992 American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) definition of mental retardation provides decision rules to guide clinicians and researchers in classification efforts. The paper examines concerns about the intelligence quotient criterion, the adaptive skill areas, and proposed differentiation by…

Volume II, Section D of a six-volume final report (which covers the findings of a research project on policy and technology related to rehabilitation of disabled individuals) presents a review of literature on two types of sensory disabilities--visual and hearing impairment. Individual chapters on each disability cover the following: definitions…

Examined are some generic issues and problems related to the development of operational procedures for identifying learning disabled children, focusing on the formula proposed by the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped. (DLS)