The impact of inservice generated staff knowledge changes on the behavior of 42 mentally retarded adults was assessed. Findings demonstrated an effective time-efficient means of collecting client behavior change data, as well as a 51 percent growth in measured staff knowledge, anD a decrease in each of nine targeted maladaptive behaviors.…

Evaluated the effects of incarceration period on the educational achievement of 61 juvenile delinquents. Students in a residential institution were studied, using the Metropolitan Achievement Test. Results indicated that students' educational achievements varied according to whether they were in the beginning, middle, or end phase of…

It was found that mentally retarded individuals awaiting placement were younger, more intellectually and physically handicapped, and less skilled than persons already in group homes. Persons in jeapardy of placement failure had higher IQs, fewer mobility problems, and greater independence skills than other group home residents. (Author/SEW)

An attitude scale on sexuality and the handicapped was developed and field tested on 232 people in contact with mentally retarded persons. The results indicate that the scale was sensitive to differences in attitudes within and between groups and that sexuality training was effective in producing attitude change. (Author/SEW)

Using the Matching Familiar Figures Test and the Porteus Maze Tests with characteristic modifications, the feasibility of using measures of cognitive tempo were examined. The measures' contributions in predicting the work performance of institutionalized moderately-severely retarded subjects were no greater than conventional individual…

Derived a representative national nursing home admissions cohort with 1977 survey data. Found that high proportions of admissions have short lengths of stay and are discharged within the same calendar year. (Author/RC)

Recently admitted nursing home residents received a battery of psychological tests and were rated on a number of behavioral indices. Results revealed the morale/anxiety dimension was independent of cognitive competency, internally controlled residents were rated high by others in behavioral competency, and self-rating scales measure something…

Hypothesized that internal locus of control would correlate with global self-esteem, physical self-concept, and lower physician-rated disability. Both hypotheses were partially supported. Internality correlated with greater educational attainment, externality with greater length of stay in the institution. (Author/DB)

Studied the issue of meeting people's basic needs as a key to preventing unnecessary or prolonged institutionalization. Results indicate when basic needs for money, housing, and medical care are met, institutionalized people consider independent living arrangements, and needs for personal social services are mentioned less frequently. (Author)

This essay explores the scientific research and the ideological principles behind the controversy over deinstitutionalization. References are made to the effects of institutionalization and the failure of communities to organize and provide adequate services for normalization. (EB)

Measured the attitudes toward the elderly and toward mental illness and ways of evoking attitude change using persuasive communication and autotelic inquiry treatment. No differences were found in attitudes toward old people but a difference in opinions about mental illness was found in autotelic-inquiry subjects. (Author)

The article describes events which have challenged the legitimacy of state schools for the mentally retarded. It notes the development of new legitimating myths to justify institutional existence, and describes how institutional administrators and standard bearers manage relations with and field criticism from the outside world. (SB)

Effects of sensorimotor training on intelligence and adaptive skills of 40 profoundly retarded adult residents of a state institution were investigated during a six-month intensive training program. (Author)

It was found that Ss in all conditions showed significant pretest to post-test performance increases on the telephone skills tasks--suggesting that, for skill development tasks with retarded adults, demonstration and verbal summaries may add little to the practice experience and that group delivery of training procedures is cost-effective.…

A neuropsychological assessment stressing lateralized perceptual-motor and cogntive abilities was administered in two groups of hospitalized psychiatric patients (8 to 17 years old), 25 schizophrenics, and 25 nonpsychotics. The results supported the hypothesis that there may be left hemisphere dysfunction in schizophrenia; however, no single…