Upper Iowa University implemented a staff development project to increase teacher competency in the education of adult students with learning disabilities. Participants were teachers of adult education classes throughout the State. The need for a staff development project for teachers with students at Level I (the concrete, beginning level) was…

Presented is a survey of current trends and issues pertaining to institutionalization and deinstitutionalization of handicapped persons in America. Chapter 1, an introduction, examines deinstitutionalization from ideological, public policy, psychosocial, and programmatic perspectives. Considered in the second chapter are obstacles that impede…

Institutionalized emotionally disturbed boys and noninstitutionalized normal boys were administered the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children. Locus of control and separate factor scores were calculated. Helplessness factor scores, but not overall locus of control scores, differentiated the two groups. (BJG)

Presented is the case study of a multiply handicapped institutionalized boy (3.8 years old) with presenting problems of self-injury, refusing food, and inability to walk. (IM)

Mentally retarded institutionalized persons admitted to a California state hospital in 1970 (N=165) and 1980 (N=27) were followed for three years to examine mortality rates and causes. Higher mortality rates in the 1980 group (one-third died within three years) appeared related to the trend toward institutionalization of only the most debilitated.…

Reviews literature on the effects of deinstitutionalization policies on women who are mentally ill, and also discusses women who care for this population. Asserts that sex role biases contribute to service planning for the mentally ill, and calls attention to the potentially destructive effect these policies could have on patients of both sexes.…

Offers survey-derived demographic, disability characteristic, living setting, and health and social service receipt and need information on 7,823 developmentally disabled persons age 53 and older. Additional information is presented by age groups and residential settings. Both similarities and dissimilarities were noted between elders in general…

A family contracting approach, delineating those behaviors which could not be used as sole justifications for involuntary hospitalization is recommended to decrease a psychiatric patient's fear of arbitrary, family-initiated commitment. The contract outlines the decision rules which might necessitate involuntary hospitalization. Advantages are…

This issue of "The Link" newsletter contains the following articles: (1) "King County System Integration Initiative: Reform to Impact Dual Jurisdiction Youth and Families"; (2) "Children of Prisoners, Children of Promise" (Arlene F. Lee); and (3) "Addressing Child Trauma in Juvenile Justice and Residential Settings" (Christine Siegfried and Susan…

In May 2006, the National Poverty Center (NPC) at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan hosted a meeting--"Research on Prisoner Reentry: What Do We Know and What Do We Want to Know?"--to discuss the state of research on employment-focused prisoner reentry programs. This paper, written as background for…

This report examines links between prisoners' participation in the vocational education and training (VET) programs available within the Queensland prison system and their chances of returning to prison. The findings reveal that being involved in VET before initial release decreases the chances of returning to prison from 32% to 23%. Nevertheless,…

Studies indicate investments in social programs that raise a poor working mother's income may be especially beneficial to her children when they are of preschool age. Other studies show that high-quality preschool education interventions can have long-term beneficial impacts on school dropout, lifetime earnings and incarceration rates for…

Noting that the population of foster children who "age out" of the foster care system may be even more at risk than other foster children, this research brief summarizes a longer report examining trends in foster care in the United States, the number and needs of those aging out of the system, and public policy implications. The brief indicates…