Background: Evidenced-based health promotion programmes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are notably absent. Barriers include a lack of understanding of how to adapt existing evidence-based programmes to their needs, maximize inclusion and support mutual goals of health and autonomy. Methods: We undertook a…

There is a lack of evidence-based behavioral therapies or pharmacotherapies to treat repetitive behaviors found in autism. Effective behavioral therapies are needed to counter any negative consequences these behaviors may have on the child's early learning and socialization. The purpose of this proof-of-principle study was to test the feasibility…

Young people with learning difficulties who go to residential special schools and colleges are highly vulnerable, often living a long way from home. Transition towards adulthood--from school to college, or college and beyond--requires careful planning and support for both young people and their families. Despite national policy and guidance in…

This article recounts the life-story of one man who was "diagnosed" as intellectually disabled in the early 1960s. It details the time he spent in a special residential school in the Irish Republic after acquiring this label and outlines the bullying and abuse he experienced. It includes his struggle as an adult to come to terms with his…

Background: Little is known about the social ecology of residential schools. This study examined staff/student interaction and student activity in a traditional residential unit and an "independent living unit" (ILU) in a school for students with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour. Method: Staff and student behaviours were…

Background: Previous research, and official guidance, has suggested that planning for the transition between children's and adults' services is failing young people with intellectual disabilities and their families in the UK. Youngsters placed away from home in residential schools or colleges are likely to be at even greater risk of poor…

A delayed matching-to-sample task with multiple sample stimuli was used to evaluate stimulus overselectivity in 70 individuals attending residential special-education schools. A Mental Age Equivalent score (MAE) was obtained for each student using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Twenty-one participants failed to complete matching-to-sample…

Intended for parents and teachers, the directory lists schools and agencies for the retarded in the Boston area. An alphabetical listing of the schools and agencies is accompanied by a chart which makes it possible to spot check the services offered, including specific services for the multiply handicapped. A second section, alphabetically…

Historical evidence indicates that conventional explanations for the development of custodial care are inadequate. An alternative explanation is suggested based on an economic model of the structure of the residential services industry. It is argued that the profession generated demand for residential services by portraying the retarded population…

Often regarded as equivalent instruments, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) yielded significantly different Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale scores for intellectually subaverage group, with WAIS-R consistently providing higher scores. This has implications for issues of…

Examines relationship between psychological assessment and academic performance within framework of the largest residential facility for the mentally retarded in the world, Willowbrook State School, made possible by analysis of requests for psychological reevaluation of patients made by institution's Education Department. (Author)

In 1929, the state-operated West Virginia Training School was established "for the treatment and training of mentally defective boys and girls." Renamed the Colin Anderson Center in 1965 after a compassionate superintendent, the rural school served up to 541 resident children, operated a half-way house for departing residents, and…

Investigated were the language styles used by three teachers in a school for the moderately, severely, and profoundly handicapped in a one-to-one teaching situation with 8 children (8 to 17 years old). (IM)

Presented are standards for residential facilities for the mentally retarded that were developed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals. The accreditation process is said to have two major objects: setting standards for services and determining the degree to which a specific services complies with the designated standards. The…

Discusses the factors involved in a parental decision to place a retarded child in an institution or residential school. (SB)