The paper presents case studies of two severely and profoundly retarded adults at an activity center in which training is aimed at motor development and its impact on social adjustment as well as independent functioning. In each instance, an individualized program and home component were designed. Appended are Ss' evaluation data on charts of…

To determine the effects of potentially difficult behaviors (tendency to talk too much, difficulty in processing what others are saying, inattention to details, inappropriate responses to the feelings and emotions of others, and emphasis on sameness and ritualistic behaviors) on community based programs, the records of five autistic youths and…

Growing interest in self-presentation has spawned several examinations of individual differences in the tendency to manage one's impressions, notably Snyder's attempt to identify skilled impression managers through self-monitoring and an associated monitoring device, the Self-Monitoring Scale (SMS). To further examine the SMS, factor analyses were…

The controversy between the oral and the total communication approach to deaf education is reviewed and a study of the use of acquired speech by 71 deaf adults in Nigeria is presented. Questionnaire results are discussed in terms of demographics, cause and age at onset of deafness, use of amplification, school achievement, type of employment,…

The paper describes a study of the relationship between social support and well-being among 24 mildly mentally retarded Afro-American adults living with family, in group situations, or independently. Detailed observations, interviews, and questionnaires were used to collect data on the structural characteristics of the Ss' networks, use of ties as…

Historically, two commonly held stereotypes of genius have been that precocity was associated with social failure, and that precocity bred early burnout. Later research on the gifted has refuted these stereotypes. The two studies in this paper investigate whether the stereotypes have changed in light of this new knowledge. In the first study, 66…

Training in Interpersonal Cognitive Problem Solving (ICPS) can be a means of promoting social competence and adjustment. Empirical findings suggest that the process of being able to consider multiple options for solutions of interpersonal problems is important for healthy adaptive functioning, even in children as young as 4 years of age. If one…

The move from formal institution living to an independent type of living situation was assessed in 18 mentally retarded adults with high (61-84) and low (56-39) IQ scores. Prior to and 6 months after the semi-independent living situation, Ss were administered the following measures: the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the AAMD (American…

The manner in which social support mediates the relationship between stressful life events and psychological distress was examined. A random sample of 320 adult community residents completed and returned a questionnaire assessing levels of life stress, social support, and psychological adjustment. As hypothesized, a social support-life stress…

Individual differences in the regulatory processes involved in managing difficult interpersonal interactions were investigated. Interpersonal systems that easily escalate to produce coercive or violent encounters in adult-child relationships were of particular interest. Adults who were predisposed to view adult-child interactions as containing…