The purpose of the present study is to compare the 1959 revision of the Columbia Mental Maturity Scale (CMMS) with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) for use as a psychometric instrument for determining the mental ability of mentally retarded male children.

The effects of learning upon the rate of conservation attainment and its transference to other areas of performance were studied using 17 mentally retarded subjects. Subjects found to be non-conservers on pretests were taught conservation and correspondence using a variety of tasks modeled from Piaget's experiments. They were also pretested on the WISC Information and Picture Arrangement Sub-tests and a number concept test. Following the learning experiences, the subjects were posttested using the same measures used for pretesting with the exception of the number test where an alternate form was used. Significant correlations were found between the conservation pretest scores and General Intelligence (r=.72), Chronological Age (r=.66), Mental Age (r=.91), Information sub-test (r=.76), Picture Arrangement sub-test (r=.83), and number concept test scores (r=.64). There were significant posttest gains on conservation (F=79.98, p<.01), Information (F=14.56, p<.01), Picture Arrangement (F=6.62, p<.05), and number concept scores (F=6.99, p<.05), indicating tentatively that conservation attainment can be accelerated by learning with a possible effect on related areas of performance. Scores on an instrument designed to measure internalization of the concepts showed significant gains on posttest (F=15.97, p<.01). However, posttest scores on this measure did not correlate significantly with gains on other measures.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which Melodies to Assist Social Interaction (MASI) would affect the social skills performance of the educable mentally retarded. The study employed a pretest-posttest control group design with an N of 27 mentally-retarded subjects. It also employed a one-group pretest-posttest design with an N of 8 non-mentally retarded subjects. All of the subjects received a pre- and post-score for their social skills performance level. Nineteen of the mentally-retarded subjects and all eight non-mentally retarded subjects received the MASI social skills teaching program as part of their regular curriculum. The pre- and post-treatment performance was analyzed by a correlated means t-test. An analysis of covariance was used in which the posttest means were compared using the pretest means as a covariate. It was concluded that MASI did not have an impact, positive or negative, on the social skills performance level of the subjects.

No description available.

This study examined the effects and efficacy of two vocational instructional interventions - a Hand-Held Computer intervention versus a Staff Model intervention - as vocational instructional tools for high school students with autism and mental retardation. Specifically, the study analyzed the effects of these two treatments on the completion of authentic novel job tasks within a local department store. This research indicated the provision of specific technology as an instructional model positively influenced participants' ability to: accurately complete tasks, exercise increased independence during task completion, reduce problematic behavior during task completion, and lower necessary staff prompts during task completion. The use of technology to support individuals with severe disabilities has the potential to increase their level of independence and accuracy of job completion within community-based settings. Five high school students with autism and mental retardation participated in this study, which compared the use of a palm-top computer with a traditional staff model during the completion of eighteen novel job tasks within various departments of a large department store. Five of eight variables subjected to ANOVA and independent t-test analyses demonstrated significance.

No description available.

No description available.

Adaptive Behavior skills are the conceptual, social, and practical skills that individuals learn to be able to function in their everyday lives (AAIDD, 2008). Measuring adaptive behavior is a way to summarize the effectiveness with which individuals meet the standards of personal independence and social responsibility expected for their age and cultural group. This paper discusses the history and development of adaptive behavior as a construct, its measurement, and its relationship to intelligence. Previous research has examined the relationship between adaptive and intellectual functioning; this study investigates adaptive performance among children with disabilities while controlling for the influence of intellectual level. Children with autism, specific learning disabilities, and mental retardation were studied to determine how they fared in the adaptive subdomains of communication, socialization, and activities of daily living. Data for the study were gathered by reviewing archives from special education records in a large, urban school district. Results indicated a positive and moderate relationship between intelligence and adaptive behavior, but only in the autism group. The groups differed in their performance on the subdomains of adaptive behavior; however, the pattern of adaptive skills for each diagnostic group was unique. Children with autism were found to have deficits in socialization, children with learning disabilities were found to have deficits in communication, and children with mental retardation showed deficits in all domains. These patterns held up even when IQ was controlled; however, the groups no longer differed on communication skills, suggesting that IQ is most strongly related to communication. Finally, the study revealed that full scale IQ, activities of daily living, and communication skills discriminate mental retardation from the other groups while socialization skills discriminate autism from the other groups. Implications of these findings are discussed relative to assessment practices, differential diagnosis, program development, and progress monitoring. / School Psychology

This research addressed the need for the development of a multi-method needs assessment framework that could be used by Training Directors within the 40 Community Service Boards in Virginia to identify the training and staff development needs of professional staff. The study was carried out over a one year time period. First a multi-method needs assessment framework was developed. This framework consisted of three different needs assessment methods designed to produce a list of the top ranked needs in relation to (a) clinical, (b) prevention and consultation and (c) administration training and staff development needs. These methods were: (a) the review of performance evaluations by a three person committee, (b) the use of a nominal group technique by a five person Training Assessment Committee and (c) the completion of a Self-assessment Questionnaire by the professional staff on the rate of hindrance on each of 150 competencies that pertain to community mental health and mental retardation professional practice. Following review and verification by a panel of experts, this multi-method framework was field tested in the Rockbridge Mental Health Center, Lexington, Virginia. Those needs that were identified by all three methods of the multi-method framework for this CSB were listed as the primary training and staff development needs. The research concluded that the multi-method needs assessment framework had sufficient utility for it to be used throughout Virginia in the 40 CSBs to assess training and staff development needs. The triangularization of data allowed the needs identified by one method to validate the needs identified by the other methods. / Ed. D.

Referentiell kommunikation innebär att kunna delge andra information så att de förstår, samt att själv förstå när man lyssnar och även att vara medveten om när man själv inte har förstått (Sonnenschein &amp; Whitehurst, 1984). Genom en referentiell kommunikationsuppgift har lyssnaregenskaper inom referentiell kommunikation undersökts hos ungdomar med lindrig till måttlig utvecklingsstörning, samt en mentalt åldersmatchad kontrollgrupp. Snabb benämning (Rapid Automatized Naming) av enstaviga och flerstaviga ord har också testats, och huruvida samband mellan resultat i kommunikationsuppgiften och snabb benämning föreligger. För att mäta referentiella lyssnarförmågor har olika typer av efterfrågningar studerats, det vill säga hur individen uttrycker sig för att efterfråga mer information. Resultatet visar att kontrollgruppen producerar signifikant fler av efterfrågningstyperna begäran av utökad information och kontrollfrågor. Båda grupperna var mycket heterogena i kommunikationsuppgiften vad gäller antalet efterfrågningar hos varje individ. I målgruppen återfanns ett signifikant samband mellan efterfrågningstypen aningen-eller-frågor och långsam benämningshastighet av enstaviga ord. En klinisk implikation av resultatet i studien är att en del individer i målgruppen skulle kunna gynnas av träning i referentiell kommunikation.