Some theoreticians believe that diagnostic and prognostic impressions are based in part on clinicians' personal values. A study was conducted to assess whether clinical judgment is affected by patient religiosity, therapist religiosity, or an interaction between patient and therapist religiosity. Psychotherapists' (N=15) judgments concerning…

The study investigated possible relationships between rating scales frequently used for diagnostic purposes with children in the diagnostic category of attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity (ADD/H) and performance on the Gordon Diagnostic System (GDS). The study also examined whether subgroups of ADD/H children could be discriminated utilizing…

The paper describes hyperkinesis, a common behavior problem of childhood which is characterized by symptoms which include involuntary and consistent overactivity usually with onset in early childhood or infancy, short attention span, and poor school performance. Sections touch on the following aspects: symptoms, etiology, course of illness,…

Introduced by S.A. Kirk in the early 1950s, the term "learning disability" was intended to eliminate controversial psychological and neurological labels which had come to be applied to students with reading disabilities, but has itself generated much controversy. The four historical phases in remedial treatment of learning disabilities have…

This paper identifies some issues regarding the conduct and documentation of the child-sexual-abuse medical examination and urges studies of the benefits of colposcopy with video, versus digital, versus 35 mm photography, in providing accurate documentation of abuse and determination of the overall utility of the colposcope. (DB)

Summarizes highlights of a discussion by 12 leaders in the field of child sexual abuse concerning the emotional impact of the child-sexual-abuse medical examination. (DB)

While it is acknowledged that there is no flawless measure of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood, a review of the literature reveals significant agreement in recommended assessment procedures. An overview of these procedures is presented in this paper. It begins with the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, such as symptom…

An increase of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) throughout the world cuts across age, ethnic, gender, and sexual orientation groups. It is imperative that people find out if they are carrying the disease. Many still continue to engage in high risk behaviors in ignorance, putting themselves and their partners at risk. The relationships among fear…

The interview process was studied to uncover the relationship of expertise in psychotherapy to the likelihood of accurate diagnosis. Experience and training affect the number of diagnostic questions clinicians ask as compared to personal, family, social, occupational, and history questions; and this in turn affects the accuracy of the diagnoses…

This paper provides guidelines for the audiologic assessment of infants and young children, highlighting recent technologic advances in auditory electrophysiology, acoustic immitance measure procedures, and behavioral audiometric techniques. First, audiologic assessment guidelines developed by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association are…

Adolescent suicide is the second leading cause of death in the adolescent population and is on the rise. This study used a mass screening concept as a pre-test identifier of at risk clients for suicide ideation and depressions; development of a competency-based prevention group treatment program, and the post-testing of the identified at-risk…

The relationship between recurrent otitis media (middle ear infection characterized by the presence of middle ear fluid and possibly leading to a temporary conductive hearing loss) and learning disabilities (LD) is examined. Traditional treatment approaches (antibiotic medication and surgery) are reviewed. The definition of LD is presented and the…

Three studies were conducted to examine factors which affect lay observers' judgments about peers who express illness complaints. In the first study, brief scenarios describing a hypothetical patient suffering from a sore throat were presented to 118 college students. The results revealed that subjects were less likely to regard the patient's sore…

Length of stay in psychiatric inpatient units has received increasing attention with the external pressures for treatment cost-effectiveness and evidence that longer hospital stays do not appear to have significant advantages over shorter hospital stays. This study examined the relationship between length of psychiatric hospital stay and…

Some states have established community-based forensic services, such as competency and sanity evaluation programs. Since changing from inpatient, centralized evaluations to community-based, decentralized evaluations may result in lower costs, a study was conducted to examine the feasibility of doing more forensic sanity and competency evaluations…