Reported are data on the distribution of childhood disorders among 330 child patients (2 to 19 years old) referred for psychiatric evaluation; and analyzed are relationships among several diagnostic categories and subject variables. (SBH)

Discusses the revised definition of mental retardation in a 1992 manual by the American Association on Mental Retardation. The key principles that provided the foundation for the development of the new definition are described, including the paradigm shift from facility-based to services-based to supports-based models. (CR)

A study examined the validity of the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS) with 119 children (ages 3-10) with strict DSM-IV (Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV) diagnoses of autism. The GARS consistently underestimated the likelihood that children would be classified as having autism. Limitations of ratings scales and of the GARS…

Discusses qualifying students with high-incidence disabilities as eligible for special education. Examines relationships between authoritative definitions of disabilities, federal and state regulations, assessments conducted that are designed to measure the criteria in the regulations, and the use of assessment data in assigning children to…

The usefulness of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) (J. Butcher and others, 1989) for diagnosis and assessment of depression and psychoses was studied with 264 psychiatric inpatients. MMPI-2 profiles were sensitive to group differences, and the derived regression equations were stable and fairly good at classification.…

Although probably a heterogeneous condition, autism includes a class of individuals who also have neurological impediments manifested as disturbances of movement, balance, posture, and gait. Neuromotor and neurobehavioral assessments are reviewed to improve the classification of the impairment and to facilitate the utilization of therapies…

Cluster analysis was conducted to examine clinical characteristics of 1,961 boys and 1,320 girls (ages 10-19) with serious emotional disturbances entering systems of care funded by the Center for Mental Health Services. Combining functional and behavioral characteristics of participants indicate that symptom measures alone could not adequately…

The expansion of early childhood services has brought increasing recognition of the need to address mental health disorders in young children. The transactional perspective of developmental psychopathology is the basis for review of diagnostic frameworks for young children. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) is…

We review recent research on the presentation, nosology and epidemiology of behavioral and emotional psychiatric disorders in preschool children (children ages 2 through 5 years old), focusing on the five most common groups of childhood psychiatric disorders: attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, oppositional defiant and conduct disorders,…

This "Packet of Information for Families" (PIF) was developed for parents whose children are identified as both gifted/ talented and on the autism spectrum, or twice-exceptional. Parents of twice-exceptional children often search for appropriate and challenging enrichment programs for their child, but the dearth of information available…

This paper examines the validity of diagnostic categories frequently used to classify children with severe language disorders by determining the relationship of the categories to independently derived developmental, psychological, and medical variables. It is argued that the classification systems currently available too often fail to achieve the…

A preliminary classification is presented for functional human sexual disorders. This system is based on objective behavior and reports of distress. Five categories of sexual disorders are proposed, including the behavioral, psychological and informational components of sexual functioning in the individual and the couple. (Author)

Presents the results of a study of cognitive components in the diagnostic thinking process in which a content analysis of interviews between patients and clinical medical students, house officers, and graduate medical students revealed 14 categories of cognitive activity in the process. Six tables and a reference list are included. (Author/JL)

Three studies examined subtest profiles of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children: the first developed a normative taxonomy of subtest patterns using cluster analysis; the second compared subtest patterns of children with various disabilities; and the third used core patterns to identify children with unusual patterns. Results opposed the…

This article discusses the history of revisions to the category of "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder" (ADHD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM); results of field trials for the forthcoming fourth edition of the DSM; and the relevance, functions, and limitations of DSM-IV diagnosis for educational…