Background: Autism is rarely diagnosed before three years of age despite evidence suggesting prenatal abnormalities in neurobiological processes. Little is known about when or how development becomes disrupted in the first two years of life in autism. Such information is needed to facilitate early detection and early intervention. Methods: This…

Objective: The purpose of the current study to assist in understanding the prevalence and clinical correlates of psychiatric distress in adolescents seeking outpatient services for marijuana abuse or dependency. Methods: In a multi-site randomized clinical trial, 600 adolescents and their parents were assessed at intake using the Global Appraisals…

It has long been recognized that from the first months of life auditory perception plays a crucial role in speech and language development. Only in recent years, however, is the precise mechanism of auditory development and its interaction with the acquisition of speech and language beginning to be systematically revealed. This paper presents the…

Background: Gender bias has been reported in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with a variety of illnesses. In the context of our 10-station fourth year Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation, we queried whether this could influence diagnosis in a geriatric case. Case writers hypothesized that, due to this bias, the female standardized…

This paper outlines the findings of a study of young people's and parents' experiences and perspectives of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from five positions: the 'symptoms' of ADHD and their consequences, the process of diagnosis and treatment, interventions, a personal diagnosis, and participation and voice. It questions the…

Numerous studies have provided empirical support for subtyping attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) along two primary dimensions: inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity. Efforts to further specify subtype differences in the functional impairments of children with ADHD are presented in this paper. It was predicted that differences…

Six studies in laboratory and classroom settings investigated the diagnostic and remedial performance of 66 reading and learning disabled specialists and classroom teachers. Ss were asked to diagnose simulated cases of either reading or learning disability and suggest an initial remediation plan. Two related findings were revealed across all…

A study examined the application and availability of clinical and biomedical knowledge in the clinical reasoning of physicians as well as possible mechanisms responsible for changes in the organization of clinical and biomedical knowledge in the development from novice to expert. Subjects were 28 students (10 second year, 8 fourth year, and 10…

Parents' views concerning the developmental assessment of their special children were evaluated, and a diagnostic model was developed based on the findings. Nineteen families whose 3- to 36-month-old children were undergoing first-time developmental evaluations were studied through questionnaire and interview responses. Twelve recurring themes…

Until recently it has been possible only to measure the behavioral products of cognitive processing, e.g. reaction time. However, this is a rather indirect way of studying brain substrates of cognition. Psychophysiological techniques can be used to study the neural mechanisms of cognition. In this experiment brain electrical activity was measured…

Thirty-six reading specialists and classroom teachers enrolled in a graduate reading diagnosis course participated in a study to determine whether clinical performance could be improved by alterations in a clinician's memory and strategy. Overall procedures in this study included pretests, 30 hours of clinical training in diagnosis, and posttests.…

A measurement device, Assessment of Sensorimotor Integration in Preschool Children, was developed to assess postural control, reflex integration and bilateral motor integration in developmentally delayed children (3 to 5 years old). The test was administered to 113 normal children and results were compared with data collected on 23 developmentally…

Fifty-four clients (13- to 52-years-old) in an Appalachian sheltered workshop were administered the Slosson Drawing Coordination Test (SDCT) and the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test. Twenty-nine Ss were labeled possibly brain damaged by the SDCT, and 17 Ss by the M. Hutt scoring system for the Bender-Gestalt. Two psychologists using all available…

Presented are the findings of the 1976 Chapel Hill Study of the Region IV status of services to Head Start handicapped children. Brief introductory sections cover the roles of various Region IV network components in the provision of comprehensive services to special needs children and the design of the data collection system to investigate the…

Second-year medical students (N=187) evaluated their own videotaped performances during physical assessment examinations. Peers and expert evaluators also rated the performances. Significant differences emerged across types of raters. Results show that these students do not accurately assess their own or peers' skills performances. (TJH)