Social Competence Training (SCT) is a composite, voluntary program of instruction and group treatment initiated at the California Correctional Institution to work out individual problems of inmates as well as moderating the overall social situation at the institution. (Author)

Describes the evaluation procedure for Treatment Alternatives to Street Crimes (TASC) in Marin County, California. The TASC program was developed to identify drug users shortly after their arrest and refer them to appropriate treatment modalities. (Author/HMV)

Positive self-concept correlated with belief in one's internal locus of desired control. Examining only institutionalized subjects, the first study found this relationship to be prominent for male subjects. In the second study, comparing institutionalized and noninstitutionalized elderly, this relationship was again most prominent for…

Describes the educational program in a Fairfax County, Virginia, juvenile detention center. The center's approach is a combination of "tough love" philosophy, interagency cooperation between the school district and state agencies, and an educational program based on a one-room school house model. (LMI)

Statistics are analyzed from 1990 to 1996 concerning the fading of Medicaid's bias toward institutionalization of individuals with mental retardation rather than use of Home and Community-Based (HCB) waivers for alternative community services and support. A major shift toward increased use of HCB waivers is noted and documented state by state. (PB)

Describes a series of workshops for family and friends of institutionalized elderly persons designed to inform them of the nature of communication, how it is affected by the aging process, the psychological and neurological nature of communication impairments, and how to manage situations in which communication breaks down. (Author)

Five responses to Alvarez (EC 220 238) comment on discontinuation of antiepileptic drugs with mentally retarded patients. (DB)

Examined effects of family structure (intact, stepparent, and single parent) on institutionalized children's (N=166) self-concepts in grades 5 through 12. Found trend for students from single-parent families to check fewer positive adjectives, although not significant difference from children from intact or stepfamilies. (Author/ABL)

Examined placement of 248 older mentally ill persons into independent settings, community-based programs, or level III or level IV nursing homes. Risk of institutionalization increased as cognitive skills and family support declined. Consistent predictor of placement was prior residence. Number of medical problems and need for nursing or…

This study analyzed patterns of deinstitutionalization of people with mental retardation by tracking discharges for over 2,000 residents of the largest mental retardation facility in Virginia. Initial placements were ascertained and categorized. Discussion focuses on implications of these placement data for an understanding of the…

Residents (n=702) of Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation institutions were given dental examinations, and findings were compared with data from 1,077 residents 9 years earlier. Data were analyzed for oral pathology, unmet dental needs, contribution of dental care to habilitation, and effectiveness of the dental service system.…

Investigated effect of alexithymia upon person's art production. Administered Toronto Alexithymia Scale and 100-mm analog scales for depression and anxiety to 100 psychiatric patients. Each subject drew and identified his/her illness. All subjects, even those quantified as alexithymic, were able to graphically communicate their illness using these…

This article recounts the words and deeds of Burton Blatt, a writer, educator, and exposer of abuses of human rights in institutions housing people with mental retardation. His life is seen as an inspiration for those now providing moral leadership in the continuing fight against indifference to human rights abuses and social darwinism. (DB)

Review of the records of 209 institutionalized individuals with developmental disabilities who had died during a 10-year period found that the 29 individuals who exhibited severe self-injury did not live significantly shorter lives, though they did have a significantly higher incidence of vision and hearing impairments when compared to matched…