The project described was initiated in 1974 by an institution for mentally retarded citizens to expand its library services from a poorly equipped library for school age residents to an adapted service appropriate for mentally retarded adults in a public library type setting. Project goals were directed toward improving institution life, preparing…

TO ASSIST YOUNG, MENTAL PATIENTS IN OVERCOMING SOME OF THEIR SOCIAL DEFICITS, TWO RESOCIALIZATION PROJECTS (PRE- AND POST-DISCHARGE) WERE INITIATED TO MOVE THE PATIENT FROM A MENTAL HOSPITAL SETTING INTO THE LARGER COMMUNITY, WITH A COMMUNITY CENTER AS THE LEARNING GROUND. CAREFULLY SELECTED PATIENTS FROM THE HOSPITAL WERE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO…

The current interest in using non-professional therapists to work with chronic schizophrenics is usually focused on the effect on the patients. Relatively little attention has been paid to the effect this particularly intransigent patient population may have on clinically unsophisticated students, especially students who are planning a career as…

The document contains five selected readings and a listing of resource materials on the prevention, investigation, and correction of child abuse and neglect in residential institutions. Section I contains an excerpt from the February 1977 issue of Child Abuse and Neglect Reports. Section II covers the final report of the National Conference on the…

This bibliography lists toys and games designed to aid children and young adults to master skills in the following areas: (1) communication; (2) concepts; (3) life; (4) math readiness; (5) motor; (6) reading; (7) music therapy; (8) sensory; and (9) social studies. Ten to thirty entries are described in each category, and a list of publishers is…

A selection of four papers from those presented at the CEC Northwest Regional Conference (Vancouver, British Columbia, October 21-24, 1970) deals with the involvement of parents in school programs. Beryl Gridley briefly skims the area of work with parents of exceptional children while Vera Brinson details work with parents of preschoolers. Ila…

Suggested are some principles of developing energy conservation programs where retarded persons might be particularly affected, ways to conserve energy, and pertinent references. It is thought that the retarded, particularly the retarded in institutions, are more likely to suffer from energy conservation measures than members of the larger…

Studied was memory for visually and auditorily presented stimuli in 29 institutionalized, mantally handicapped children, 29 normal second and third graders, and 29 5- and 6-year-old children enrolled in a Head Start program. Lists of visually and auditorily presented stimuli were learned by the three subject groups. Results indicated that trials…

A survey of the discharge status of institutionalized educable mentally retarded patients who had been studied with the Kohs Learning Potential (LP) assessment measure in the early 1960's was undertaken. Learning potential was strongly associated with the fact of discharge. The more able patients by the learning potential criterion also had higher…

Behavioral observations were conducted on aged mentally impaired females in an institutional environment on a weekly basis for a two-year period. Half the subjects remained stable in the level of their behavioral functioning. Stable subjects evidenced less serious medical conditions, had better comprehension of their situations and were more…

Mental health legislation recently enacted has improved on older laws by recognizing new procedural rights for patients. In many instances, however, it has also prevented treatment for patients who are severely ill. The authors discuss the new laws and the way they have affected the cooperative efforts of social workers, lawyers, and…

In an experiment to investigate the possible effects of determinate sentencing, 48 prisoners were tested on six variables. Although there was some indirect evidence that the indeterminate sentence is a source of tension, the issue remains open. (Author)

Behavioral tracking observations of 14 adult male residents in a school for the mentally retarded were made in an enriched and deprived setting on the ward. (Author)

Changes in the self-concept associated with a period of incarceration were investigated. Female prisoners in the Iowa Women's Reformatory were administered the usual admissions test battery plus a 24-item Self-Concept Scale consisting of bipolar adjectives. Readministered following a six-month period of incarceration, the scale showed general…