A case study of three adults (ages 46-47) with Down syndrome investigated the patterns of symptoms associated with depression and dementia. Characteristics that distinguish between dementia and depression in adults with Down syndrome are described. Periodic comprehensive assessment of adults with Down syndrome to detect functioning changes is…

This study examines the reliability and validity of various behavior rating scales, side effects checklists, and an ecobehavioral observation system used to study self-injurious behavior among persons with mental retardation. Findings from testing with 30 adults suggest that further refinement is necessary to reliably and sensitively assess the…

This study compared 34 adults who had shown early delays in language (high functioning autism) with 42 similar individuals with no such delays (Asperger Syndrome). No significant differences were found between groups on the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), their social outcome ratings or ADI-R scores based on current functioning, or on…

This experiment sought to define a confidence limit for maximum word-recognition scores obtained from 212 young and elderly adults with confirmed cochlear hearing loss. A 95% confidence limit was found and supported through analysis, although it is suggested that, in some cases, word recognition should be measured at additional levels to obtain…

This review of instruments for assessing psychopathology and behavior problems in people with mental retardation characterizes evaluation tools in such terms as age groups encompassed, levels of mental retardation, number of domains, and types of raters used. The structure of maladaptive behavior is described, and several instruments are…

Interviews with 51 female sexual abuse survivors revealed that over half had a diagnosis of multiple personality disorder, and the vast majority had extensive dissociative symptomatology and related features. (Author/JDD)

Item response theory and the graded response model were used to examine measurement qualities of the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, with data from 2,348 veterans (participants in the National Vietnam Veteran's Adjustment Study). Implications for improved assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder are…

A developed computer-administered form of the Hamilton Anxiety Scale and the clinician form of the instrument were administered to 214 psychiatric outpatients and 78 community adults. Results support the reliability and validity of the computer-administered version as an alternative to the clinician-administered version. (SLD)

Three studies investigated the effectiveness of the Computer Assisted Reading Diagnosis, a diagnostic system based on "rauding" theory (a collection of theories, constructs, and equations developed to describe, explain, predict and control the ability to comprehend relatively easy sentences) and a causal model of reading achievement.…

This study examined three maladaptive behaviors, self-injurious behavior (SIB), stereotypies, and aggression in 36 adults with either autism, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), and mental retardation. Findings indicated that, for all three diagnostic categories, aggression was primarily maintained for attentional…

This article offers guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of the child or adult client with vocal disorders, including the importance of obtaining a thorough history; the physical examination, including use of such technology as video strobolaryngoscopy; and medical, surgical, or rehabilitation treatment. A team effort, involving both…

This article discusses diagnostic overshadowing, a robust bias that negatively affects the accuracy of clinicians' judgments about concomitant mental illness in persons with mental retardation and mental illness. Reviewing 12 studies, it examined moderators of diagnostic overshadowing and found clinician's cognitive complexity negatively affects…

Sex offender research is still in its infancy, but our knowledge about adult sex offenders has increased in the last several decades. However, public interest in the issues of assessment, treatment, and recidivism with respect to risk and safety has increased substantially during this time. This article provides an introduction to the significant…

Background: Both the professional and the general media have recently published concerns about an "epidemic" of child and adolescent depression. Reasons for this concern include (1) increases in antidepressant prescriptions, (2) retrospective recall by successive birth cohorts of adults, (3) rising adolescent suicide rates until 1990,…

This literature review, from 1990 to the present, discusses the characteristics of autism and the comorbidity of mental retardation and autism. Specific medical syndromes that complement the heterogeneity concept are described, including epilepsy, fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, and Asperger syndrome. The paper presents some…