Thesis (Ph.D.)--Case Western Reserve University, 2009 / Title from PDF (viewed on 30 July 2009) Mandel School of Applied Sciences, Department of Social Welfare Includes abstract Includes bibliographical references Available online via the OhioLINK ETD Center

Thesis (doctoral)--Ludwig Maximilians-Universität zu München, 1979.

Siblings are an integral part of the support network for adults with a developmental disability (DD). However, little is known about the psychological stress of having a sibling with a DD in adulthood. This project had four main objectives: (1) to identify variables that predict and moderate psychological well-being and depressive symptoms in adults who have a sibling with a DD; (2) to examine differences in sibling relationship characteristics, psychological well-being, depressive symptoms, and support use in siblings of individuals with a DD alone versus siblings of individuals with a DD and symptoms of a mental illness; (3) to determine whether relationships with siblings with a DD differ from relationships with siblings without a DD; and (4) to explore the perspectives of adults with a DD regarding their sibling relationships and how these relationships affect their well-being. One-hundred ninety six adult siblings of individuals with a DD completed online questionnaires about life events, relationship closeness, sibling contact, impact of having a sibling with a DD, family functioning, use of supports, symptoms of depression, and psychological well-being. Life events and having a sibling with a DD and behavioural or psychiatric symptoms predicted symptoms of depression and psychological well-being. However, the relationship between these predictor variables and psychological well-being was moderated by general family functioning. Additionally, siblings of individuals with a DD and behavioural or psychiatric symptoms reported less positive feelings about their sibling relationship, more symptoms of depression, and lower psychological well-being than siblings of individuals with a DD alone. A subset of the participants (n = 128) who also had a sibling without a DD completed questionnaires about their relationship closeness, sibling contact, and perceived impact of their sibling without a DD. Participants reported more in-person and telephone contact with siblings with a DD, more positive feelings about the sibling relationship, and greater perceived life impact as compared to their relationship with their sibling without a DD. Seventeen adults with a DD also completed in-person interviews and answered questions about their sibling relationship closeness, shared activities, and support exchanged with siblings. Participants identified numerous activities they enjoyed doing with siblings and indicated a desire to spend more time with siblings. They also reported that they both provided support to and received support from their siblings. / Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2013-02-07 23:47:06.32

It has been indicated through research and by personal testimony that although some barriers for inclusion for those with special needs have been broken down since the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, one of the most significant barriers still remains - negative and often subtle attitudes. Positive attitudes toward individuals with special needs have been shown to facilitate inclusion while negative attitudes hinder inclusion. Since the ADA law exempted churches from the mandates for inclusion, many have found participating in churches a significant challenge. The purpose of this study was to explore the attitude measurement score of senior pastors as it relates to awareness of special needs populations, types of special education ministries in the churches, previous life experiences with persons with developmental disabilities, and the pastor's training through formal and informal courses of instruction related to developmental disabilities. The research explored potential factors which shape pastoral attitudes and result in either barriers or facilitators to intentional special needs ministries. Data was collected through an online survey format and the results were used in a statistical analysis to facilitate the answering of the research questions. The sample population for the research included the 1296 senior pastors of Southern Baptist churches in South Carolina who have published church and/or personal email addresses in the South Carolina Baptist Annual Report 2008. Through statistical analysis of the survey results, precedent literature review concepts concerning the value oflife experiences with individuals with developmental disabilities can have a positive impact on positive attitudes. The pastors overall had positive attitudes toward individuals with developmental disabilities, but most significantly in the realm of the behavioral domain. Strong statistically significant correlations could not be drawn between having a positive attitude toward individuals with special needs and special needs ministry among the pastor's surveys. There were definite trends which support the important roles of experience and education being made available to pastors in order to potentially bring positive changes concerning inclusion in local churches. Keywords: attitude measurement, special needs ministry, pastoral attitudes, individuals with developmental disabilities, church special education ministry

The Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA) is a valuable tool that is used to assess the learning ability of individuals with developmental disabilities (DD). The ABLA was recently revised and is now referred to as the ABLA-R. A self-instructional manual was recently prepared to teach individuals how to administer the ABLA-R (DeWiele, Martin, Martin, Yu, & Thomson, 2011). Using a modified multiple-baseline design across a pair of university students, and replicated across four pairs, I evaluated the effectiveness of the ABLA-R self-instructional manual for teaching the students to administer the ABLA-R to individuals with DD. Each student: (a) after studying a brief description of the ABLA-R, attempted to administer the ABLA-R to a confederate role-playing an individual with DD (Baseline); (b) studied the ABLAR self-instructional manual (Training); and (c) once again, attempted to administer the ABLA-R to a confederate (Post-Training Assessment). Participants who achieved at least 90% accuracy in conducting the ABLA-R in their Post-Training Assessment with a confederate then administered the ABLA-R to an individual with DD in a Generalization phase. In Baseline, Post-training, and Generalization phases I scored each participant’s performance using the ABLA-R Tester Evaluation Form. The overall results indicate that the self-instructional manual is an effective method for training individuals to accurately administer the ABLA-R.

Domain specific theories of development postulate that mental state reasoning (i.e., theory of mind; ToM) develops independently of general problem solving ability. In contrast, domain general theories suggest that the abilities develop concurrently. To assess the relation between mental state reasoning and problem solving, children with autism, developmental delay, and typical development were administered 2 ToM tasks, and 3 problem solving tasks that did not require mental state reasoning. Typically developing children performed better than both groups on the problem solving tasks, each of which required the use of embedded rules. For all groups, positive within-group correlations emerged between the tasks that required mental state reasoning and the general problem solving tasks, suggesting that a common mechanism underlies both abilities, and challenging the notion of domain specificity. The current findings are discussed in the context of a domain general versus domain specific account of ToM acquisition in typical and atypical populations.

The Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA) is a valuable tool that is used to assess the learning ability of individuals with developmental disabilities (DD). The ABLA was recently revised and is now referred to as the ABLA-R. A self-instructional manual was recently prepared to teach individuals how to administer the ABLA-R (DeWiele, Martin, Martin, Yu, & Thomson, 2011). Using a modified multiple-baseline design across a pair of university students, and replicated across four pairs, I evaluated the effectiveness of the ABLA-R self-instructional manual for teaching the students to administer the ABLA-R to individuals with DD. Each student: (a) after studying a brief description of the ABLA-R, attempted to administer the ABLA-R to a confederate role-playing an individual with DD (Baseline); (b) studied the ABLAR self-instructional manual (Training); and (c) once again, attempted to administer the ABLA-R to a confederate (Post-Training Assessment). Participants who achieved at least 90% accuracy in conducting the ABLA-R in their Post-Training Assessment with a confederate then administered the ABLA-R to an individual with DD in a Generalization phase. In Baseline, Post-training, and Generalization phases I scored each participant’s performance using the ABLA-R Tester Evaluation Form. The overall results indicate that the self-instructional manual is an effective method for training individuals to accurately administer the ABLA-R.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Nurses can play integral role in collaborating with community leaders and identifying health promotion strategies, such as physical activity and nutrition classes, for people with developmental disabilities (DD). This study identified a role that nurses can establish among Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who serve important functions in the daily supervision and care of clients with DD. The data reviews from the archival results from Association of Individual Development Health Matters Assessment Reports in August 2012 and September 2013 indicated DSPs' need for further training in their roles as health instructors. The Health Matters Assessment Report in 2012 indicated low scores in employees' confidence in terms of planning health education classes (20.8%), running a health promotion program (22.7%), evaluating health functions and behavior for people with DD (19.3%), teaching clients with DD how to exercise (26.7%), and making healthy food choices (25%). The Health Matters Assessment Report in 2013 indicated poor attendance to Health Matters Class training (20%) and reduced attendance to Health Matters Class launch events (34%). This study proposed a Train-the-Trainer education program to help DSPs prepare as health instructors of Health Matters Class. The education program can establish effective partnerships between nurses and can promote peer-to-peer support while increasing DSPs' knowledge, skills, and commitment as health instructors. This study can benefit nurses, researchers, and community workers involved in providing care to clients with DD. The findings of this study can provide direction for further research in the advocacies of health promotion programs among clients with DD in the community.

No description available.