A study found cumulative decline in adaptive behavior and functional skills in 248 adults with Down syndrome increased from less than .04 at age 50, to .67 by 72, whereas decline for 398 adults with mental retardation increased from less than .02 at age 50 to .52 at 88. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Three studies observed everyday communication of people with aphasia, traumatic brain injury, and in hospital. Simplification of real-life communication in the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health, variability of item sampling in existing assessments, and the complexity of real-life…

Most teens leaving the care of an agency are woefully unprepared and unsupported. Current approaches to aftercare are expensive and difficult to implement. This study evaluated a prototype version of Vstreet.com, an innovative website for at-risk youth designed to teach lifeskills and build community. Findings from a sample of youth in the Job…

In-depth interviews with 20 people with monocular vision identified a number of themes associated with the impairment, including psychological, psychosocial, physical, vocational, and daily living problems. They also revealed that in many cases, these problems had profound implications for people's adjustment to daily living. The implications of…

This qualitative study investigated what disabled children thought most important in their lives and examined how well their priorities are represented in KIDSCREEN, a generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument. Participants were a subgroup of families who had previously taken part in a study of quality of life and participation in…

This report describes a project to teach young children strategies to resist the lures of strangers and to produce and disseminate a training manual for teachers in mainstreamed preschool classes. Project activities and accomplishments of the project are described. The project involved a study of 47 children (ages 3 and 4), 6 of whom had…

This manual provides information on a follow-up study that investigated the transition outcomes of 90 students with disabilities who have exited Wisconsin's high schools, and provides materials to be used in training educators working with students with disabilities who are transitioning from school to work. The first part of the manual contains…

This fact sheet discusses the outcome of a study designed to understand the needs of American Indians with disabilities who may have problems that limit their ability to carry out daily activities. Thirty-two American Indians with disabilities were interviewed in three counties in northwest New Mexico regarding the things they used or needed…

The book presents the results of a survey of the daily life and attitudes of 90 English families with an adolescent with Down Syndrome (DS). The first chapter reviews the typical development of DS children. Chapter 2 provides demographic data including schooling (94% attended schools for children with severe learning difficulties), residence (83%…

As the number of chronically ill elderly increases and the costs of hospital and nursing home care rises, consideration is being given to alternatives for long-term care. One alternative being explored in California is the Alameda County Homemaker Program which provides home health care to the frail elderly. Interviews were conducted with all 30…

Research on everyday learning has begun to illuminate some of the relations between activity and knowledge, and thus can help educators reconceptualize classroom activities. For example, how and what children learn about money epitomize many of the differences between everyday and school-based problem solving. The general goals of this paper are…

Home care has not consistently proven to prevent institutionalization, reduce mortality rates, reduce hospital use, or improve functional status and morale; and indeed, these objectives may be unreasonable. Rather, the purpose of home care should be to meet immediate needs of recipients which they can no longer meet themselves. Publicly-funded…

The program guide is designed primarily to teach the areas of personal, social, and work adjustment to vocational rehabilitation clients to help facilitate their future adjustment to life and work in the community. The basic curriculum is directed to the level of the educable mentally retarded and is also helpful for junior and high school…

A trainer's manual is presented in the second of three volumes on the Life Skills for the Developmentally Disabled Project, which focuses on deinstitutionalization through improved staff utilization. It is explained that the manual provides strategies designed to involve the total staff and clients in a system of accountability for communicating,…

Findings are presented from a 1-year planning study of independent living for severely physically disabled persons. Funded by a federal grant through the city and county of Denver, the study focuses on the following 10 necessary services (with subtopics in parentheses): income assistance (subsidies and typical expenditures), attendant care…