This experiment sought to define a confidence limit for maximum word-recognition scores obtained from 212 young and elderly adults with confirmed cochlear hearing loss. A 95% confidence limit was found and supported through analysis, although it is suggested that, in some cases, word recognition should be measured at additional levels to obtain…

Comparison and analysis of the restorative treatment recommendations made by dentists and dental school students for 63 patients found about 85% agreement on treatment plans. It is observed that the results provide some basis on which to assess how well dental school treatments reflect mainstream practice. (MSE)

Males (ages 7 to 17) in a psychiatric hospital were studied while off psychoactive medication to determine how serum dopamine beta hydroxylase (DBH) activity varies with childhood maltreatment experiences. Lowest DBH levels were found in boys maltreated before 72 months of age or with the principal diagnosis of conduct disorder solitary aggressive…

Three studies examined subtest profiles of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children: the first developed a normative taxonomy of subtest patterns using cluster analysis; the second compared subtest patterns of children with various disabilities; and the third used core patterns to identify children with unusual patterns. Results opposed the…

Interviews with 51 female sexual abuse survivors revealed that over half had a diagnosis of multiple personality disorder, and the vast majority had extensive dissociative symptomatology and related features. (Author/JDD)

Three case reports of people with severe or profound mental retardation and Tourette disorder are presented. Issues related to the diagnosis of Tourette disorder in this population are discussed. (Author)

Medical evaluation of seven third-grade children with developmental dyscalculia in a mainstream setting identified neurological conditions (including petit mal seizures, Gerstmann syndrome, and attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity) in all the children. Findings suggest that children who are not improving academically should undergo…

The objective of this study was to identify characteristics of the patient, training process, and test that were associated with the accuracy of the standardized patient's presentation of the clinical problem. The cohort consisted of 38 patients who were used to evaluate 98 medical students at the University of Manitoba in 1988. (MLW)

This special issue on adolescence in the Israeli kibbutz contains a series of seven papers that seek to advance thought and research regarding the relationship between a communal way of life and individual developmental processes in adolescence and early adulthood. The articles represent a transitional era as the kibbutz evolves. (SLD)

Item response theory and the graded response model were used to examine measurement qualities of the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, with data from 2,348 veterans (participants in the National Vietnam Veteran's Adjustment Study). Implications for improved assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder are…

A developed computer-administered form of the Hamilton Anxiety Scale and the clinician form of the instrument were administered to 214 psychiatric outpatients and 78 community adults. Results support the reliability and validity of the computer-administered version as an alternative to the clinician-administered version. (SLD)

Reviews the symptomatic characteristics of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), compares the cultural and clinical characteristics of Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees (N=973) diagnosed with PTSD, and assesses the validity of PTSD across cultures. Outlines differences between groups and implications for effective treatment and further…

A study found four measures that would discriminate 31 predominantly Spanish-speaking children (ages 5 to 7) with normal language from 31 children with language impairments. The measures were: parental report of the child's speech and language skills, number of errors per terminable units, mean length per terminable units, and family history of…

A qualitative study of 10 mothers who received a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome and chose to continue their pregnancy examined how the diagnosis was presented, the decision to continue the pregnancy, and the mothers' experiences with professionals from diagnosis to delivery. Mothers' suggestions to others facing the same challenges and to…

A study examined the stability over 19 months of academic subtyping classification of 80 children (ages 9 to 13) representing four subtypes of arithmetic disabilities (AD). Approximately half of the sample retained AD regardless of identification method. Children with deficits in arithmetic, reading, and spelling disabilities exhibited the…