Changes in health care and increasing provision of community services have resulted in an increased number of community dwelling older adults with intellectual disabilities (ID), leading to questions about future planning for service delivery. Although selected aspects of functioning have been explored in various research studies, less longitudinal information pertaining to broad aspects of health is available to planners. This longitudinal project was designed over 10 years ago with the primary purpose of exploring individual and systemic issues in the health needs of this challenging population, leading to improved service planning.<p>Cross-sectional and longitudinal health data were collected from 360 adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) recruited from social services agencies from across the province of Saskatchewan. Data collection included caregiver information, chart information and directly administered tests of selected aspects of cognitive functioning. Formal data-collection occurred every second year for a maximum of four test times, and was supplemented by follow-up phone calls.<p>Analysis of study results showed that young, rather than older people without DS had a greater severity of health needs related to their underlying conditions, and more problematic behavioral and mental health issues. The reason for this was likely the increased survival of multiply handicapped young people, and the increasing trend for these people to be maintained in the community rather than in large institutions. This population was more likely to receive psychotropic medications, both for underlying problems such as seizure disorders, but also for difficult behaviors such as aggression.<p>On the other hand, adults with DS had relatively fewer problems in their younger adult years, but had increasing problems as they aged. Most aspects of functioning were decreased in the older compared to the younger cohorts, which was consistent with the longitudinal, individual level data showing yearly declines in most measured skills. These declines were greater than those found in adults without DS. Although yearly declines were noted in most age cohorts, the largest declines were noted in the oldest age groups, 50 years and over, suggesting that, while aging related decline was present from an early age, declines severe enough to suggest a dementing process probably do not start until after middle age. Declines in visual memory appear to precede those in praxis.<p>Mortality was increased with age, lower baseline functioning, DS, male gender, and baseline depressive symptoms.<p>The use of aging programs did not change much during the course of the study, but interesting differences in service use between people with and without DS were noted. Adults with DS were more likely than those without DS to participate in generic aging services, which was thought to be due to people with DS presenting with more typical, Alzheimer type behaviors, rather than severe behaviors such as aggression.

Telomeres are located at the ends of all eukaryotic chromosomes and provide the stability of chromosomes. They consist of simple tandem hexametric repeats and play an important part in cell longevity. In human lymphocytes, telomeres shorten progressively with age. Mental retardation (MR) is a disorder with intelligence quotient below average (IQ < 70) and impairment in adaptive skills. IQ by Weschsler Adult Intelligence Scales revised (WAIS-R) appears to peak in the of 30-34 and thereafter decline gradually. Life expectancy is defined as the number of years remaining to be lived. The overall increase in life expectancy indicates an improvement in longevity. The life expectancy of MR patients is shorter than that of the general population. The purpose of this study is to predict the relationship between telomere length and IQ in normal control as well as to analyze the differences among the average telomere length for the control and subgroups of MR cases. Fifty-nine patients who met the fourth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria for mental retardation were included in this study. According to the degree of intellectual impairment, MR patients were divided into 4 types: mild, moderate, severe, and profound. Fifty-two female nursing students aged 19-21 were recruited as normal controls. DNA was isolated from their lymphocytes. Telomere length was analyzed by Southern blot hybridization. The length was calculated by the Photo CaptMw Version 99.03 software. Correlation between the telomere length and IQ in normal control was performed by the Pearson product-moment correlation. One-way ANOVA was used to test if any differences existed among the normal, mild, moderate, severe, and profound MR. Analyses displayed that there were no correlations between telomere length and IQ including PIQ(r=-0.001; p=0.922), VIQ(r=-0.033; p=0.817), TIQ(r=-0.026, p=0.857), and no difference existed among the normal and subgroups of MR cases. Results obtained from this study indicated that life expectancy of MR patients may approximate to that of the general population if live in the well environment.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 2002. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2949. Typescript. Abstract precedes thesis as 2 preliminary leaves. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-71).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-136). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka hur några speciallärare och specialpedagoger ser på arbete med musik, språk och kommunikation för elever på tidig utvecklingsnivå. Fokuseringen är hur de ser på att använda musik för att nå språkliga och kommunikativa mål för elever i gymnasiesärskolan. Som metod i studien har kvalitativa intervjuer använts då den undersöker upplevelser. Datainsamlingsmaterialet har analyserats enligt fenomenologisk forskningsmetod. Sammanlagt har sex speciallärare och specialpedagoger intervjuats. Resultatet visar att speciallärarna och specialpedagogerna ser flera gemensamma nämnare i musik som medel att nå kommunikativa mål. Musik ses som ett mångsidigt och flexibelt medel som utvidgar till språkliga och kommunikativa sammanhang. Det beskrivs i motivationshöjande aktiviteter som genererar sociala möten. Musiken sociala forum ses som särskilt betydelsefull då det annars arbetas mycket på individuell nivå. Möjligheter beskrivs i att variera metoder där hela kroppen används utifrån en här- och nusituation. Musiksammanhang beskrivs också i att locka eleverna till något mer utmanande. Även den ordlösa kommunikationen som finns i musiken tas upp, en slags kommunikation men utan ord. Det ordlösa som finns i musiken ger utrymme för återhämtning i en kravlös gemenskap för dem som annars har svårt att utrycka sig i talat språk. Där blir eleverna deltagare i en passiv kommunikation genom att följa med i texten till en känd sång eller genom att bara lyssna på musikens uttryck.

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Vėlyvoji paauglystė (jaunystė) yra psichologinių ir socialinių pokyčių metas. Jaunuolis susiduria su užduotimis, kurias išsprendęs sėkmingai įžengia į suaugusiųjų pasaulį (Irwin ir Millstein, 1991). Jis turi įgyti nepriklausomybės, atrasti savo tapatumą, atsiranda poreikis atsiskirti nuo tėvų ir susitapatinti su bendraamžių grupe. Be to, vėlyvoji paauglystė yra metas, kai aktyviai sąveikaujant su socialine aplinka intensyviausiai formuojasi žmogaus savęs suvokimas ir vertinimas, kuris turi reikšmingas pasekmes asmens adaptacijai ir gerbūviui.Visame pasaulyje integracijos procesui žengiant į priekį, labai aktualu įvertinti neįgalių vaikų prisitaikomąjį elgesį, kuris gali būti apibūdinamas kaip savarankiškumas, gebėjimas prisitaikyti, socialinė ir emocinė branda. Sutrikusio intelekto asmuo turi būti įgijęs ne tik tam tikrą išsimokslinimą, bet ir sugebėti integruotis į visuomenę: tinkamai elgtis, priimti sprendimus, bendrauti su aplinkiniais. Nežymų protinį atsilikimą turintys jaunuoliai patys nori prisiimti atsakomybę už savo veiksmus, atsiskirti nuo šeimos, susirasti darbą, tačiau jiems sunku realiai įvertinti save ir savo galimybes. Todėl tampa svarbu išsiaiškinti sutrikusio intelekto jaunuolių elgesio motyvus, poelgių priežastis, kad būtų galima geriau juos suprasti ir jiems padėti Mokslinių darbų Lietuvoje, įvairiapusiškai analizuojančių sutrikusio intelekto jaunuolių emocijų ir elgesio ypatybių raišką, aptikti nepavyko, nors mokslininkų, nagrinėjančių šią problemą yra (J... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Late adolescent (youth) is period of psychological and social alteration. The youth interfere with tasks which successfully solved let to step to adulthood world (Irwin & Millstein, 1991). He must to become independent, to find one’s identity, coming dependence to segregate from parents and converge with contemporary group. Furthermore latest adolescent is a period when positively cooperating with social environment formative self – esteem and self reliance, which have significant results for personal adaptation and wellbeing. Over the world integration process is onward movement very actual to evaluate disabled child’s adaptability behavior which can be definable as independence, ability to acclimatize, social and emotional maturity. Mentally retarded person must have to obtain not only good education but also he must have to integrate to society: to behave with decorum, to find decree, to communicated with people who are round about. Mild mentally retarded youth want to take responsibility for their actions by themselves, to segregate from family, to find a job, but it is very difficult to appreciate themselves and the possibilities. So it is becoming very important to ascertain mentally retarded youth emotion and behavior reasons, actions reasons which would be easier better to understand and help them. We have not find any academic proceeding which are analyzing all-round adolescent behavior and emotions features expressions, notwithstanding there are scientist who are... [to full text]

The professional study of idiocy began within the discipline of medico-psychology and was taken up, later, by professionals in the fields of education, social work, and philanthropy. When medical research seemed to confirm the hereditary origin of mental ability, and as studies began to assert that a great deal of social problems were due to 'weakness of mind', men and women from these professions concerned themselves with the prevention of idiocy, primarily by segregation. As social commentators in late-Victorian England became increasingly concerned about the nation's apparent decline in economic and military competitiveness, these professionals and commentators began to stridently campaign for the detention of idiots in permanent colonies. This process continued during the Edwardian period when many professionals slowly gravitated to the eugenic-led campaign for control of the feeble-minded, a campaign which culminated in the Mental Deficiency Act of 1913.

The 2002 Supreme Court decision (Atkins vs. Virginia, 536 U. S. 304), prohibiting the execution of mentally retarded persons, may potentially increase malingering of mental retardation (MR). There is limited research addressing the detection of feigned MR. The present study compared results from tests of intelligence, adaptive functioning, legal/courtroom knowledge, and psychiatric and neurocognitive feigning to determine how effectively these instruments discriminate between MR participants and community volunteers asked to either approach the test honestly (CVH group) or feign, or malinger, MR (CVM group). CVMs suppressed their IQ scores sufficiently to appear MR. CVMs overestimated deficits on individuals with genuine MR on tests of adaptive functioning and courtroom knowledge. Psychiatric feigning instruments did not discriminate between MR and CVM groups. Neurocognitive feigning instruments discriminated between groups, however specificity and Positive Predictive Power were unacceptably low. Revising cutting scores to hold specificity at .95 improved PPP significantly, suggesting the potential utility of these instruments to detect feigned mental retardation. Results from this study suggest that applying published decision rules to MR populations on tests commonly used in forensic neuropsychological evaluations will likely result in a high rate of false positive errors. Given the high stakes associated with classification errors in capital cases involving MR defendants, alternative cutting scores appropriate for this population should be determined.

It is a terrible shock to parents when they hear from a medical specialist that their child is not normal like other children, bUt retarded. Such parents are traumatized to the same extent as other parents may be when they lose a child to death. They go through the same phases of shock, denial, anger and mourning. A complicating factor is that these parents cannot recover from this loss as they are reminded of this sorrowful fact on a daily basis and to an increasingly difficult level. The aim of this investigation is firstly to determine the effect that severely retarded child has on the functioning of the family. Secondly, to determine what the needs of such a family are in respect of pastoral care; and finally, to provide guidelines for the care of a family with a severely retarded child. This research Is based on the practical-theological model of Zerfass and comprises: • A basis-theory that reveals Biblical perspectives that have been researched about the topic; • A meta-theoretical assessment based on the literature survey (also in related fields), as well as empirical research. The empirical study Is based on a number of interviews that were undertaken with families who have severely retarded children; • Theory for application that proposes guidelines for the pastoral care of the family with a severely retarded child in their care. The research resuits reveal lacunas that exist in available literature in respect of pastoral care for families with a severely retarded child. It is also clear from the resuits of the empirical research that ignorance about this type of pastoral care is common. The conclusion of this research is that these families who have severely retarded children do not enjoy the benefit of proper pastoral care. This happens because both pastoral care-givers as well as members of the parish underestimate the influence that such a child has on the family. The research results could assist in educating people who are, to a large extent, Ignorant in this regard; as wen as equipping pastoral care-givers with guidelines to care for families with severely retarded children. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Practical Theology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.