The objectives of this study were: (1) to examine the psychometric properties of the Assessment of Life Habits (LIFE-H) for children; and (2) to draw a profile of the level of participation among children of 5 to 13 years of age with various impairments. The research team adapted the adult version of the LIFE-H in order to render it more…

This article profiles Amanda Valentin, a 22-year-old woman with cerebral palsy who is a quadriplegic and nonverbal, who uses assistive technology to improve her life. The author was Amanda's assistive technology specialist who trained her to utilize software and hardware efficiently. She describes the steps she took to ensure that the assistive…

The article describes the need for therapeutically designed and prescribed seating systems for cerebral palsied and severely physically handicapped children. Related issues discussed include muscle tone problems, beginning proper positioning early, needs evaluation by parents and clinical team members, and selecting a seating system. (JW)

Discusses the role of the elementary school counselor in working with children who have cerebral palsy. Describes interventions for physical and emotional problems and provides recommendations for meeting the needs of children and their parents. (JAC)

Visual defects associated with cerebral palsy and educational issues relevant to the multiple handicapped child are considered. Educational concerns include medical and developmental assessment; periodic evaluation of the individual education plan; comprehensive programing (i.e., medical, psychological, educational, and sociological); and parental…

Through a case study of the effects of a "paradoxical" intervention, the author shows how temper tantrums were reduced in a five-year-old cerebral palsied child. (Author/BW)

A review of the changes in the treatment of and attitudes toward cerebral palsy in the last 30 years is presented. The author stresses the need for early diagnosis and evaluation, day care (especially respite care), counseling, transportation, special living arrangements, and integration of this population. (PHR)

The adequacy of biting, sucking, swallowing, and chewing as well as the presence or absence of nine infantile oral reflexes were assessed in 60 cerebral palsied individuals (ages 3 to 23). (Author/PHR)

Presents the results of a secondary analysis of the RSA- 911 database from the Rehabilitation Services Administration. All successful vocational rehabilitation (VR) closures for individuals with mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy for five data points between 1985 and 1995 were investigated. Trends in the use of competitive employment…

This case study evaluated the linguistic structure of transcripts produced by a young Finnish man using facilitated communication. Explicit criteria included patterns typical of children acquiring Finnish and those found in slips of the tongue, acquired aphasia, and specific language impairment. Findings strongly suggest that his output was…

The study investigated the effectiveness of an instructional program designed to promote independent walking in a mentally and physically handicapped (cerebral palsied) preschooler involving a collaborative effort between a behavior therapist and a physical therapist in an interdisciplinary setting, a public school. (Author/DB)

A procedure was devised in which message content was provided to four nonvocal, severely palsied quadriplegic adults in advance, and investigators elicited the messages via subjects' yes/no gestures. Results indicated reasonably high correspondence between stimulus messages and messages elicited. (Author/JDD)

This paper examines parallels between aspects of conductive education for brain-damaged children and R. Feuerstein's theory of mediated learning. Two key aspects of Feuerstein's theory are examined and applied to conductive education: structural cognitive modifiability and the mediation process between culture and child. Mediation processes,…

Targeted the frequent noncompliant behaviors and negative parent-child interactions each weekday morning in a 12-year-old boy with developmental disabilities and multiple handicaps. "Beat-the-Buzzer" involved setting time limits for the child to get ready for school in the morning and decreasing maternal attention. Data indicated a substantial…

This article highlights difficulties in replicating the Andras Peto Institute for Motor Disorders in Hungary by establishing the Birmingham (England) Institute for Conductive Education, for children with cerebral palsy. Difficulties included a lack of conductive education principles in clear English, failure to properly identify children who could…