The effectiveness of medical consultation studied at Johns Hopkins Hospital was measured as a function of compliance by the requesting physicians with the consultants' recommendations. Compliance rates are discussed. The definitiveness of the advice offered was significantly related to compliance. (MLW)

An academic general medicine clinic (GMC) was studied and profiles were generated to determine current patterns, shortcomings, and potential solutions. Conclusions include that GMC offers insufficient variety of patient presentations for optimal postgraduate medical education and inadequate accessibility for comprehensive medical care. (Author/JMD)

This study reports behavioral and cognitive stability and change in 76 children with autistic spectrum disorders, evaluated at ages 7 and 11. Verbal IQ, performance IQ, severity of autistic characteristics, and social characteristics were analyzed. The study found that IQ and more severe expression of autistic symptoms were very stable. (CR)

A 2-year study evaluated the relationship among psychosocial adjustment, changes in academic skills, and contextual factors in 100 children (ages 7-11) with learning problems. Contextual variables were significantly associated with psychosocial adaptation, including the effectiveness of the clinical assessment, extent of academic support, and the…

Intelligence quotient profiles in 81 high-functioning children and adults with autism were examined. Profiles did not reveal the presumed typical pattern of a lower verbal IQ than performance IQ. Results found that individuals with autism demonstrated a wide range of ability levels and patterns on the Wechsler Intelligence Scales, without a single…

Parents of 372 visually impaired children in Scotland were surveyed to determine the parents' knowledge of the child's eye condition, educational placement of the child, and registration status as blind or partially sighted. Results indicated that 50 percent of parents were dissatisfied with explanations of their child's visual impairment or…

Ninety-six children from a high-iodine Chinese village were found to have higher goiter incidence, thyroid gland volume, and urinary/creatinine ratio than 51 children from an iodine-normal village. All children from both villages were euthyroid. Excess iodine did not substantially affect the children's physical or intellectual growth. (Author/JDD)

This paper presents a case report of a young adult Japanese male with infantile autism who also met diagnostic criteria for seasonal affective disorder and trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling). The case report deals with difficulties in diagnosing mood disorder in such individuals, potential treatment effectiveness of valproic acid, and…

A survey of 136 mental health providers revealed that providers overwhelmingly perceive cultural issues as important in evaluations of Hispanic children and adolescents. Only 54% considered themselves as highly successful in assessing degree of acculturation, and 69% reported a great need for more culturally focused training. (Author/KS)

Service providers (n=48 and representing 30 states) for preschool visually impaired children responded to a questionnaire evaluating the number of visually impaired children, source of referral for services, age at referral, visual diagnoses, common additional handicaps, kinds of service delivery models employed, types of teacher certification,…

At the end of their clinical clerkship rotations, all students in one medical school's classes of 1988 (N=69), 1989 (N=63), 1990 (N=66) took the Post-Clerkship Examination. This study examined the nature of the patients' satisfaction ratings; reliability of patient satisfaction ratings and number of patients needed to derive reliable ratings; etc.…

A case study of an adolescent with catatonia superimposed on autism is presented. The symptoms of the patient are highlighted and include abnormal social interactions, deficits in symbolic play and in communicative language, and occurrence of hallucinations and delusions. Treatment of the patient with clozapine and lorasepam is described. (CR)

This study compared parent and teacher perceptions of academic performance and cognitive deficits with the standardized test performance of 19 students (ages 7-13) with hearing impairments. Results indicate that parents and educators were equally skilled in predicting academic performance, but had greater difficulty predicting specific cognitive…

Interviews with parents and children and standardized measures for parental depression, family environment, and social support satisfaction were completed to examine the process and consequences of disclosure of parental HIV infection. Results showed that parents struggle with disclosure, fearing their children will be emotionally harmed or cannot…

Presents a diminutive overview of research and a case study of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), a rare, genetically complex congenital disorder. Prenatal diagnosis of this case included omphalocele, hydonephrosis, and possible horseshoe kidney, detected by ultrasound. The characteristics of this disability and related problems are discussed.…