In the support of individuals with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD), assessing the level of alertness is a recurring issue for parents and other direct support persons. Although observations show clear advantages above and beyond other assessment methods, there are problems related to this method as well. Subjectivity of…

Because of a shortage of valid instruments to measure the QOL of people with profound multiple disabilities (PMD), the QOL-PMD was developed. In the present study, possibilities for item reduction as well as the psychometric properties of the questionnaire were examined. One hundred and forty-seven informants of people with PMD participated in the…

The study evaluated the validity, reliability, and effectiveness in providing needed information of the Montana Functional Vision Assessment (MFVA) Instrument by comparing it with the Texas Education Agency Functional Vision Assessment and field testing the instrument in evaluations of nine multihandicapped students (ages 3-11). Evaluation led to…

Background: Assessing and measuring subjective quality of life (QOL) for individuals with profound multiple disabilities (PMD) remain amongst the most difficult challenges for theorists and practitioners in the field. The usual approaches using proxy reporting by familiar others have been demonstrated to be of questionable reliability and validity…

The Self-Report Depression Questionnaire (SRDQ), a measure of depressive symptomatology in persons with mental retardation, was administered to 89 mentally retarded adults living in community-based settings. The SRDQ demonstrated high internal consistency reliability, as well as moderate stability over an 11-week period. Content validity and…

Examined approaches to the design of an assessment procedure for the child with cerebral palsy. Suggests the concept of an open-ended grid that cross-references basic psychological processes with expressive modality is a means of systematizing the individual evaluation. (Author)

Utility of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-Expanded Form to discriminate among areas of adaptive behavior was substantiated by comparing profiles of scores obtained by 113 individuals with mental retardation and either a communication, social behavior, or motor disorder. Results support the use of the Vineland Scales in ecological evaluation…

This manual describes the Wisconsin Sensorimotor Pointing Assessment (WSPA) for individuals with severe communication deficits complicated by other cognitive or motor disabilities, and provides guidelines for its administration. The WSPA was designed to quantify four categories of sensory and motor abilities necessary for initiating and accurately…

This study examined the cross-ethnic equivalence of several measures commonly used to tap contextual correlates (i.e., parental symptomatology, family relations, peer relations) of serious emotional disturbance in children. Subjects were 117 juvenile offenders with diagnosed substance abuse or dependence disorders and considerable psychiatric…