Background: When assessing people with intellectual disabilities (ID), using the DSM-IV-TR can be challenging. Frequently, significant clinical data must be obtained from interviews with key informants. A new semi-structured interview tool was developed including behavioural descriptions of each DSM-IV-TR symptom criterion for a number of mood and…

The frequency, course, and inter-relationships of atypical eating, sleeping, self-injurious behavior, aggression and temper tantrums in children with autism and children with a history of language impairment (HLI), was investigated using a parent interview that was created to examine these problem behaviors. The relationships between these…

The mother and teacher of a boy who lacked speech skills (eventually diagnosed as generalized apraxia, severe in the speech modality) describe the boy's various diagnoses and educational treatments and the successful use of sign language to improve his expressive communication. (LS)

The author identifies two operations, "dump" and "play", that take place in human communication and analyzes the communication efforts of young children (prior to age 8) in terms of the limitations in cognitive development that govern their communication. (Author/LS)

The study evaluated the ability of six learning disabled adolescents with normal language ability and eight learning disabled adolescents with deficient language skills to appropriately mark ambiguous referents. Subjects were compared with control groups of normally achieving chronologically age matched adolescents and children matched with the…

A collection of seven papers developed for the 1982 Summer Institute of Linguistics of the Linguistic Society of the Philippines address aspects of the institute's research topic, the interface of the morphosyntax and discourse structure in languages of the Philippines and Sabah. They include three papers on general concerns of discourse types in…

In the name of responsible argument, persuasive rhetoric need not eschew all the devices used by propaganda. Emotion is not only inevitable in discourse, it is the necessary base for action. Educators should not consider propaganda evil for the very reason they consider poetry good: its emotional power. This kind of thinking creates a specious…

This paper maintains that persuasive efforts in religious discourse must include a respect for the right of individuals to make free choices. Some of the unethical practices discussed are: deception and flattery, where the persuader, in a spirit of conquest, entices the listener into wrong decision-making; physical or psychological force, where…

Examines the aspects of language which form the basis for the effective use of public speaking, expecially in television and radio. (Text is in French.) (AM)

Condensed from "School and Society, Volume 96 (December 7-12, 1968), 456-57.

The study evaluated the usefulness of 48 hours of Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) as a treatment for eight autistic children (between 5 and 11 years old). Ss were placed in a dimly lit room which contained only a mattress, told to ask for toilet facilities when needed, and then left alone except for when meals were brought in.…

GENERAL SEMANTICS CAN BE TAUGHT TO YOUNG CHILDREN BY EMPLOYING EXPERIMENTATION, ROLE PLAYING, AND ACTIVE DISCUSSION OF PERSONAL REACTIONS. THE CHILDREN ARE SHOWN HOW VERBAL EXPRESSIONS CAN BE USED TO REFLECT ACCURACY OR DISTORTION IN WHAT IS DESIRED TO BE EXPRESSED. CERTAIN FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES EMPHASIZED ARE--(1) THE WORLD CONSISTS OF PROCESSES…

The teaching of English in the United Kingdom has undergone change during the last decade and is presently in a state of flux. Current language concerns, mainly involving students 11-18 years old, may be viewed in three ways. Students' use of language should be encouraged in the classroom through expressive talk but with teacher guidance and…

The study investigated the effects of two levels of teacher intrusion upon the behavior of eight elementary level autistic children and their nonhandicapped peers during dyadic play interactions. Few differences in subject behavior were observed, though the low-intrusion condition was associated with higher levels of toy contact and fewer…