The focus of the Local Authorities Research Consortium's (LARC's) first year was to identify the early impact of integrated children's services and the features that promote or hinder success in improving outcomes for children and young people. The research operated in varied localities within the 14 participating Local Authorities (LAs), with one…

Research-based information is used to support the idea of the use of adaptations and accommodations for early childhood students who have varying disabilities. Multiple adaptations and accommodations are outlined. A step-by-step plan is provided on how to make specific adaptations and accommodations to fit the specific needs of early childhood…

This article extracts principles from two Surgeon General reports, "Closing the Gap: A National Blueprint to Improve the Health of Persons with Mental Retardation" (2002) and "Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities" (2005), and combines them with the Objectives from "Chapter 6 of Healthy People 2010" to…

Public financial support for intellectual disability in the United States grew from 2.3 billion in 1955 to 82.6 billion in 2004, and the federal government emerged during this period as the principal provider of such support. Notwithstanding this unprecedented growth in financial support, many inequities persist today in the distribution of…

Difficulties in finding, keeping, and ensuring the competence of the direct support workforce in community developmental disability services has long been a challenge for individuals, families, providers, and policy makers. Direct support staff recruitment, retention, and competence are widely reported as one of the most significant barriers to…

We are delighted to welcome you to the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends 2014, taking place in Porto, Portugal, from 4 to 6 of April. Psychology, in our time, offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral…

This site visit report describes activities, strengths, and challenges of the Area Agency for Developmental Services in Region VI of New Hampshire, with an emphasis on bringing people with developmental disabilities out of the state institution to community-based services. The agency provides case management services, family support services, and…

This report presents patterns and trends in services provided to persons with developmental disabilities through the Washington State Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) and related agencies from 1989 through 1994. Following an executive summary, individual chapters provide extensive detail on: (1) the Division and this project; (2) types…

This report studied the cases of 826 infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities from 1988 to 1995 and the role of the facilities in identifying and referring the children to a rehabilitation center in Higashi-Osaka City, Japan. A list of the classification of main developmental disabilities is provided, along with a table showing the…

This text explains the phenomenon of facilitated communication (FC) from an empirical, data-based, and/or clinical perspective. It is not a how-to-facilitate text, but one that explores the clinical and sociological reality of FC. A common theme running through each of the papers in the book is the question of FC's legitimacy. The papers reveal…

This study identifies the factors that have contributed most to supporting growth of self-advocacy among people with developmental disabilities, by examining the history of self-advocacy and reporting on interviews with six self-advocates and six advisors of the self-advocacy movement. The study concludes that the growth of self-advocacy has been…

In accordance with Public Law 99-457 Part H, Title I Handicapped Infants and Toddlers, the states are required to provide delayed infants and toddlers with multidisciplinary assessment, case management assistance, services, and family outcomes. Public Law 101-476, The Individuals With Disabilities Act, emphasizes changes that increase educational…

From the notion that people construct their realities, it follows that people are writers of the texts that they experience and call life, although in some scenes people may have greater or lesser authorship. In schools and educational systems, administrators have the power to write other persons' narratives. In creating educational texts, the…

This paper attempts to make explicit some assumptions about the creative abilities of people with developmental disabilities, and offers constructive strategies for replacing negative ideas and attitudes with positive attitudes. The paper points out that: a high degree of artistic ability can coexist with considerable impairments in other areas of…

This manual describes the "Friends" project, a year-long effort in Minnesota to develop methods for the staff of residential service agencies to support people with developmental disabilities in establishing friendships with nondisabled people in their communities. Six agencies around the state selected a total of 23 individuals (ages 11…