Historically, the study of health communication has been confined primarily to the field of medicine. Recently, however, it has increased in importance in other areas of human communication. Exploring a new approach to health communication is the purpose of this paper. Specifically, the thrust of this investigation is the use of dialogue as a mode…

Ninety-five females (aged 61-100, mean=80.88) were interviewed in a study to determine correlates of self-regard, as measured by the Philadelphia Geriatric Morale Scale (PGMS) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE). The PGMS correlated with the RSE, implying that the two reflect a single construct. Both scales correlated with self-reported…

The influence of type of residence, institution or community, on the direction and/or realism of vocational interest was investigated using 60 sheltered workshop-employed, mentally retarded young adults. The Picture Interest Inventory was used as the measure of vocational interest. Statistical analysis of cell means indicated that the…

A study assessed the current status of library services in Florida state-supported institutions in order to establish a long-range plan for the future of those libraries. Through reviews of materials, site visits, and interviews, the services of each library and their relationship to the community were studied, areas for improvement were…

This paper presents a theoretical and clinical account of a psychotherapeutic approach to the aged. The approach is called "competent coping" therapy. It is oriented to helping older adults acquire and practice better adaptive strategies in handling problem situations. The author notes that unlike most work with older adults which is based largely…

The research was conducted to determine the attitudes, general aptitudes, and interest patterns of residents of a county prison and, on the basis of the test performances, to offer recommendations concerning prison reforms. The results of the assessment techniques were interpreted to residents and to prison administrators. Examples of new programs…

Counseling parents of institutionalized adolescents and adults should address basic problems of parental overestimation of the child's impairment, anxiety regarding future community placement, and apprehension about the alternatives to community placement. Characteristic parental responses to their son's or daughter's placement in less restrictive…

Reported is a survey of state institutions for the mentally handicapped in which information about hearing imparied mentally handicapped HI/MH persons was solicited. Existing data on hearing impairment and mental retardation, its diagnosis and related programing are reviewed briefly. It is explained that 158 of 212 surveyed institutions (75…

The separate and comparative effectiveness of two procedures, remote auditory prompting (RAP) and videotape self-monitoring (VSM), for training 14 adult aides to use behavior modification with institutionalized retarded children were examined. A two-group, multiple baseline design with baseline, training, and followup phases was employed with…

Fifty-two institutionalized mentally handicapped children (average CA of 12 years) were engaged in a study attempting to determine whether there are ordinal dependencies in various scales of developmental milestones or supra-structural behaviors in language, and if so, the degree to which hierarchical levels within given categories serve as…

A three-unit contingency record of the types of mands (instructions, commands, directions, and questions) presented, the classes of response evoked, and the consequent conditions for the responses was used in an observational study of "mand interactions" between supervisors and employees of four groups: nonretarded adolescents living and…

This study examined the occurrence of high and low risk self-disclosure in 12 therapy groups. Eight groups were conducted for clients served by a community mental health center on an out-patient basis, and four groups were composed of extremely maladjusted in-patient clients at a state hospital. The Group Interaction Profile, an instrument which…

A follow up study of graduates from a vocational rehabilitation program, in a residential training center for the mentally handicapped, was conducted. Characteristics of the students, economic benefits, changes in level of functioning, need for additional services, student attitudes toward the in-hospital program, and parental attitudes toward the…

The handbook on residential institutions, for professionals and students in the field of mental retardation, attempts to interpret the institution as a part of the culture which it serves, avoiding emotional responses but suggesting formulas for change. Characteristics of contemporary institutions for the mentally retarded are examined and…

This book reports on an experiment in literacy which was carried out at the federal correctional institution in Milan, Michigan. Contents include: an introduction by Daniel N. Fader, "Walden's Bookshop," a discussion of a prison library; "The Milan Library: A History of Inmate Involvement"; "Literature and the…