Fifty-six children with either autism or pervasive developmental disorders not otherwise specified received one injection of secretin, a gastrointestinal hormone. Re-evaluation 3-6 weeks later found minimal but potentially significant improvements, including changes in gastrointestinal symptoms, expressive and/or receptive language function, and…

Examines the trend to use person-centered planning (PCP) in the provision of services to people with developmental disabilities. Reviews the history of this approach and warns that the implementation of PCP will be disappointing if the procedure is applied rigorously without regard for the context of relationships and agreements necessary for it…

This paper reviews current knowledge of the genetic epidemiology of autism and other pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs). It notes widespread agreement that the PDDs are caused, at least in part, by genetic factors and some agreement on the phenotypic boundaries associated with these same genetic factors. Remaining research issues are…

Three databases were analyzed to investigate the range and frequency of terms in the field of mental retardation/developmental disabilities. The most prevalent term over the last 15 years was "mentally retarded." The terms "cognitive impairment" and "developmental disabilities" have been used more frequently in the last five years. (Author/CR)

A study of 2560 individuals with developmental disabilities found that individuals residing in community settings experience greater social integration into the community than those in institutional settings; however, social integration was found to be more strongly related to consumer satisfaction in institutional settings than in community…

A study conducted functional analyses of the elopement of three children (ages 4-11) with developmental disabilities. The results identified a maintaining reinforcer for the elopement of one child and reinforcer assessments clarified the reinforcers for the other two. Results of the assessments were then used to develop successful treatments.…

Explores how the trends toward long-term community care affecting people with developmental disabilities developed. Appropriateness of care and quality of life issues are discussed. Reviews the development of long-term care for frail and disabled elderly people and explores the arguments for a continuum of care that have developed in this area.…

Several studies identifying establishing operations for negatively reinforced behavior among nine adults with developmental disabilities are reported. After verifying through functional analysis that self-injurious behavior was maintained by escape, some establishing properties of task demands were investigated by systematically altering task…

This analysis of the descriptive information on subjects provided by 266 research reports on autism and developmental disabilities found a continuing trend toward more complete descriptive information; increased use of control or comparison groups; less research in biological, physiological, and neurological areas; and more research in the social,…

A table lists the number of individuals with mental retardation/developmental disabilities in licensed residential settings with one to six residents and the percent of each state's service recipients in such settings in 1995. A brief discussion notes that almost half of all persons in licensed settings were in homes with six or fewer residents.…

Administered the Stanford-Binet IV and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-III) to 31 subjects, ages 11-17 years, who were previously identified as functioning in the range of mild mental retardation. Correlations among scores on the tests were significant. The Stanford-Binet IV Composite IQ was higher than identified in the…

This study assessed the criterion validity of the photographic adaptive communication device (ACD) used in Oklahoma to interview individuals with developmental disabilities receiving services. The back-translation process identified photographs that were frequently incorrectly identified resulting in revision of the ACD for greater validity.…

A comprehensive national portrait of employment and income status of adults with developmental disabilities was estimated through secondary analyses of the 1990/91 Survey of Income and Program Participation. Results indicate that the majority of adults with developmental disabilities had very limited economic resources, even when earnings from…

This article reviews basic literature on behavioral pharmacology and integrates these findings with existing applied research regarding psychotropic medication. Suggestions are provided for improving research practices, increasing the diversity of people in decision-making regarding medication use, and developing consumer-friendly strategies for…

This study evaluated an hierarchical intervention with four young children with significant developmental delays. Picture cues and correspondence training were provided at three levels of intrusiveness. Two children required only less intrusive levels of instruction while the other two required the entire intervention package to reach criterion.…