Investigates the existence of an identifiable core cognitive curriculum operative in early intervention programs as revealed in the developmental inventories used to assess students and in Individual Educational Program (IEP) objectives. Discusses the substance and suitability of this curriculum for developmentally disabled preschoolers. Questions…

This review of the literature on functional assessment and treatment of challenging behavior in children and adults with developmental disabilities first discusses functional assessment methods and then research issues, including informant assessment, direct observation assessment, and experimental (functional) analysis. The implications of this…

This study of the development of friendship found that adults (n=9) with developmental disabilities living in small group homes and a nondisabled comparison group (n=7) had similar numbers of close relationships, whereas disabled residents of large facilities (n=11) had fewer close friends than either of the other two groups. (Author/JDD)

In one experiment, autistic children continued to fail a task that involved strategic deception when no opponent was present. In a second experiment that involved reaching for an object under direct and detour conditions, autistic children had greater difficulty with the task than did nonautistic, mentally handicapped children. Cites advantages…

This paper defines and clarifies the role of professional nurses on interdisciplinary teams in the field of developmental disabilities. Professional services expected from registered nurses are outlined, and the position statement of the American Association on Mental Retardation Nursing Division is presented to provide a framework of practice for…

Developmentally disabled adults (n=36) attending day centers were interviewed regarding peer-group friendships. Results found those without peer-group friends to be similar to lonely people without disabilities on two of the three factors explored. Those with friends were found more likely to describe themselves positively on all dimensions.…

Four steps for using the aptitudes conversion procedure for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised are obtaining a summary of numerical aptitude ratings; identifying possible placements from the "Dictionary of Occupational Titles" or the "Handbook for Analyzing Jobs"; narrowing placements to match individual needs…

Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz was completed by 245 respondents (28%) from developmental disabilities (DD), aging, and other social service agencies in Washington. Overall, respondents got 64% correct; DD personnel scored lower than others. Most often missed items related to psychological aspects of aging, demographic trends, and socioeconomic…

Summarizes information presented in the American Association on Mental Retardation's 1998 publication, "State of the States in Developmental Disabilities" (Braddock, Hemp, Parish, and Westrich), which reports data on the implementation of managed care for persons with developmental disabilities. A table summarizes information about…

Analyzes the Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, the scholarly professional journal of the Australian Society for the Study of Intellectual Disability for the past 28 years. Examines changes in the nature and orientation of contents, type of publication, the professional background and affiliation of authors, its reflection of…

This study compared the social skills of 36 adults, all with profound mental retardation and 12 with autism and 12 with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDDNOS). Autistic subjects differed significantly from the other two groups and the PDDNOS group demonstrated better nonverbal social skills than the autism group but not…

The Childhood Autism Rating Scale was factor analyzed to determine if distinct and independent "subgroups" of symptoms could be derived consistent with current multidimensional theory and nosology for autism. Five factors were identified which distinguished subjects with autism from subjects with pervasive developmental disorder not…

A study compared a brief and an extended functional analyses of three adults with serious developmental disabilities and aggressive or self-injurious behavior. Both analyses revealed the same controlling variables, but the brief functional analyses took less than 20% the time in analog conditions as the extended analyses. (Author/CR)

This article assessed productivity of authors and research institutions in the area of developmental disabilities through review of all reports published between 1979 and 1999 in six applied developmental disabilities journals. Tables list the top (most productive) 21 individual authors and the top 50 institutions. (Contains three references.) (DB)

Explores use of tests with more- vs. less-precise age norms to identify disabilities in preschool children. Standard scores associated with the same raw score shifted gradually across age groups on tests with more precise norms, and shifted more dramatically on tests with less precise norms. Indicates that many preschool tests have norm tables…