A study of the effectiveness of self-instructional booklets and computer software for teaching dental students endodontic diagnosis found that the self-teaching method may be as effective as traditional lectures in teaching concepts central to development of clinical decision-making skills. Sampling difficulties created problems in assessment of…

Platelet serotonin (5HT) levels of 5 autistic subjects (ages 16-37) who had siblings with either autism or pervasive developmental disorder were significantly higher than levels of 23 autistic subjects without affected siblings. Autistic subjects without affected siblings had 5HT levels significantly higher than 10 normal controls. Sex, age, and…

Thirty-seven adult dissociative disorder patients who reported ritual abuse in childhood by satanic cults are described. A clinical syndrome is presented that includes dissociative states with satanic overtones, posttraumatic stress disorder, survivor guilt, unusual fears, and substance abuse. Questions concerning reliability, credibility, and…

Fifty-nine girls (age 12 and under) who were associates of victims of sexual abuse received a colposcopic examination. Forty-five of the girls were found to have abnormal genital findings, which were considered specific for sexual abuse in 40 cases. Medical evaluation of siblings and close associates of sexual abuse victims is recommended.…

This study examined the effects of similarity to prior examples in predicting errors in dermatologic diagnosis. Two interpretations about the acquisition of expertise are independent cues and instance-based categorization. The subjects (N=16) were first-year family medicine residents from McMaster University (Ontario). (MLW)

This study compared the analytic scores on an essay test of clinical judgment generated by nonphysician readers with those of physician readers. Generalizability theory was applied to determine the number of essays and scorers required to reach specified levels of reproducibility. Results suggested that with training nonphysicians could…

A study of 30 girls (ages 6-16) and their adult guardians found the majority of adults were inadequately prepared for their children's anogenital exams and reported that they receive no exam information prior to the clinic visit. Most children knew little about the exam's sensory or procedural aspects. (Author/CR)

Standardization data based on responses of 616 Puerto Ricans to the Spanish version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (D. Wechlser, 1981) reveal reliability data and base rates to assist in evaluating the clinical significance of differences between Performance Intelligence Quotient (PIQ) and Verbal Intelligence Quotient (VIQ).…

The usefulness of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) (J. Butcher and others, 1989) for diagnosis and assessment of depression and psychoses was studied with 264 psychiatric inpatients. MMPI-2 profiles were sensitive to group differences, and the derived regression equations were stable and fairly good at classification.…

The relationship between attachment patterns and suicidal ideation is investigated. Participants (N=116) were assessed on level of current ideation through self-report questionnaires. Lethality of methods contemplated was rated on a subset (N=16) by interview. Categorical analyses relate ideation to attachment styles. Lethality was correlated with…

Onset of canonical babbling was investigated for 1,536 high-risk infants at about 10-months corrected age. Although delays were infrequent, they were often associated with genetic, neurological, anatomical, and/or physiological abnormalities. Over half the cases of late canonical babbling, at the time of discovery, were not associated with prior…

This study examined effects of a child's diagnosis (autism vs. Down syndrome), age, and current educational placement on parental perceptions toward inclusion. Parents of Down Syndrome children tended to endorse full-time inclusion, whereas parents of children with autism endorsed part-time mainstreaming. Parents of younger children and parents of…

An assessment of foundation processes was administered to 51 Scottish children with reading difficulties and to 56 reading-level-matched controls. Results suggested the foundation is in place by the reading age of 7 years and that foundation-level dyslexia is identifiable in children with reading difficulty whose reading ages fall below this…

A study of 35 3-year-olds followed since infancy in a university-affiliated pediatrics clinic and 50 Native American children followed since infancy in a tribal health clinic found early recurrent otitis media with effusion was only associated with increased risk for speech disorder in the Native American children. (Contains extensive references.)…

A study investigated the mental health needs of 127 British adults with intellectual disability by using the Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with a Developmental Disability (PAS-ADD). Results showed that there was a good deal of unmet mental health need and there is difficulty in targeting services to those who need them. (CR)