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…

This paper provides a brief historical outline of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), its definition, its behavioral characteristics, and a guide to creating successful learning environments for these students. Diagnostic criteria for ADHD are listed and discussed, and incidence figures of 3 to 5 percent of all school-age children are…

The purposes of this study were to: (1) identify the educational characteristics of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Undifferentiated Attention Deficit Disorder (UADD); and (2) to discuss the clinical implications of the current DSM-III-R diagnostic procedures of these disorders. Specifically, the differences in…

Bulimia represents a major health problem in the United States, especially in high schools, colleges, and universities. This paper reviews literature on the definition, etiology, and therapeutic approaches for bulimia. The literature points to potential physiological bases for the disorder since some researchers reported similarities between it…

Assessing higher cerebral functions in patients with known or suspected dementia requires sampling numerous abilities quickly and accurately. This paper reports on the performance of 20 patients with probable dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) on the BNI Screen for Higher Cerebral Functions (BNI Screen). These patients' performances were…

This paper describes the process of developmental assessment of infants and young children from a parent's perspective. The artificial and arbitrary nature of most assessments is bemoaned as failing to adequately recognize children's abilities that may be readily evident to parents in more natural settings. Assessments emphasizing children's…

Although many clinicians use drawing tasks to assess children who have been exposed to family violence, few professionals are aware of current research in this area. Professionals should be apprised of the graphic indicators of child abuse in drawings, reliable art-based assessment tools, and legal and ethical principles surrounding the use of…

The focus of this study was on the identification of adolescents with physiologically based extreme behavior problems (explosive, hostile, aggressive type) through the use of evoked potential studies. Through interviews two distinct types of explosive behavior were identified based upon how individuals came out of the rage or explosive period. In…

This transcript of a conference presentation describes a motivational model of alcohol use that shows the interrelationship between the various factors that affect drinking. First, a flow diagram is presented and described that shows how complex biological, psychological, and environmental variables contribute to a person's motivation for…

The study examined pre-, peri-, and neonatal factors in 271 British infants (weighing less than 1500 grams at birth), 188 of whom survived to 2 years. The study represented an attempt to define those factors which predict normal neurodevelopmental outcome in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. Surviving infants were seen at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24…

This paper was designed to provide professional counselors with a comprehensive but concise method of accurately evaluting, interviewing, and planning for treatment of eating disorder clients. The paper is organized in five sections. The first section, Diagnosis, compares, contrasts, and offers clear explanations of the diagnostic criteria for…

The effects of the randomization of information in clinical cases on the comprehension of 16 physicians and 16 medical students were studied, using structured and unstructured forms of two clinical cases. Attention was directed to the effects of case difficulty and text structure on representations of cases in written protocols, ability to access…

Ratings of clinical competence during residency were undertaken for graduates of two medical schools. Near the end of the first year of residency, supervisor ratings were made of 13 variables for 320 graduates in seven classes at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and one class at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. Principal…

This paper summarizes the recent advances achieved by research in the area of developmental disabilities, and discusses directions for future research in this area. Approximately 8 to 10 per cent of the pediatric population suffers from one or more developmental disabilities. The most common of these are learning disabilities, which include some…

As family therapy becomes a serious intellectual disipline, the relationships among its leading variations require closer examination. To examine similarities and differences among four closely related approaches (brief, problem-focused therapy; structural family therapy; strategic family therapy; and systemic family therapy) and to determine if…