While studies to map the priorities of the autistic community have been undertaken in some high-income countries, there has been little or no such systematic assessment in the global south. India alone is home to an estimated >5 million autistic individuals. To address this gap in the literature, this study conducted a survey of the Indian…

This open access book follows the development of the Building Resilience in Teacher Education (BRiTE) project across Australia and internationally. Drawing on the success of this project and the related research collaborations that have since emerged, it highlights the importance of cultivating resilience at various stages of teachers' careers.…

Teachers in their first few years of their teaching career require high quality, structured support to begin the journey towards becoming experts. Establishing research-based best practices and working habits set up early career teachers for a fulfilling and successful career. The requirements of teachers are constantly changing, and teachers need…

This article was written with the purpose of informing educators, agency service providers, family members, stakeholders, researchers in the field of transition, and individuals with intellectual disabilities themselves, of the guardianship alternatives that can be used, hence negating the need for a legal guardian. Guardianship refers to the…

This paper summarizes the results of a review of the empirical literature (1990-2005) focusing on use of assistive technology as a self-management tool for persons with intellectual disabilities. Forty investigations were identified which provided information on assistive technology to assist persons with disabilities to initiate and complete…

Transition from secondary education to adulthood represents a period during which adolescents with disabilities face multiple responsibilities and changing roles that include establishing independence, attending postsecondary education or training, developing social networks, choosing a career, participating in their communities, and managing…

This study investigated whether four students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities would acquire related and unrelated instructive feedback stimuli embedded in the prompt and consequent event using a constant time delay to teach three food preparation skills. Analysis found the intervention effective with three students who also acquired…

The study with four adults with moderate and severe mental handicaps found that both backward and concurrent chaining training strategies were equally effective in teaching use of a fast food restaurant and a supermarket. (Author/DB)

The characteristics of the skill clusters involved in community living response chains were studied, focusing on the length of the chain, the response classes contained in the chain, and the implicit variations within the chain. Instruction of response chains can be enhanced through consideration of the stimulus control strategies used.…

A total of 274 British youth and adults with handicaps were administered the National Independent Living Skills assessment. Cluster analysis suggested that handicapped persons could be classified into four groups from lowest functioning to highest functioning, using independent living skills variables relating to living, work, and educational…

Two studies evaluated the use of either in vivo training or simulation prior to in vivo, as methods for training 8 students (ages 10-19) with moderate disabilities to cross streets and to use public pay telephones. Results suggested that prior simulation training did not appear to either facilitate or inhibit later in vivo instruction. (DB)

The fact that few researchers have studied loneliness in widowhood may be related to the concept itself which spans intellectual perspectives, incorporating elements of affect, cognition, and social structure. To examine loneliness among elderly widowers, 24 adult males (participants in a more comprehensive study of widowed men, aged 63 to 93…

A three-step assessment and quantification procedure is described that determines the goodness-of-fit (congruence) between a person's behavioral capabilities and setting-specific performance requirements. Concurrent validity and correlational data are presented, as well as potential uses of the Goodness-of-Fit Index (GOFI) procedure. (Author/JW)

This study, involving 118 adolescents and adults with deafness, found a high level of concurrent criterion validity for the National Independent Living Skills (NILS) Screening Instrument. The study concluded that the NILS is a valid tool for assessing independent living skills of persons age 16 and older with a hearing impairment and possible…

Principal components analysis was employed on the Adaptive Behavior Scales with scores of 122 older (mean age 63.5) individuals with severe intellectual impairment living in England. The study found the structure of adaptive skills and interpersonal maladaptive behaviors similar to that found for younger retarded adults. Two factors, personal…