Parents of 26 children with diagnoses of Asperger's disorder completed a symptom checklist to determine whether the children met "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition, Text Revision" ("DSM-IV-TR"; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) criteria for Asperger's disorder, autism, or pervasive developmental disorder…

This article is a socio-historical account of the development of the Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis and methylphenidate treatment in America, attending particularly to the political and institutional contexts that have supported this development. Historical developments in early-mid-twentieth-century America frame a…

Prospective follow-up study of 70 males with Asperger syndrome (AS), and 70 males with autism more than 5 years after original diagnosis. Instruments used at follow-up included overall clinical assessment, the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders, Wechsler Intelligence Scales, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, and Global…

This study estimates the sensitivity and specificity of the social communication questionnaire (SCQ) for autistic spectrum disorders in preschool children at high risk for developmental problems referred to a tertiary centre and compares the predictions of the SCQ and the referrer. The SCQ was completed by 81 parents prior to multidisciplinary…

Tests often are used to assist in assessing common childhood disabilities and disorders (e.g., mental retardation). Learning disabilities and difficulties (LD) constitute the plurality, even the majority, of school-related disorders in many countries. However, tests and other assessment methods to assess LD are not available universally and, among…

Objective: To examine precursors of adolescent conduct disorder (CD) in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), investigating the significance of childhood oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and ADHD. Method: A total of 151 children with ADHD recruited from child psychiatric and pediatric clinics were assessed through…

We designed a cooperative learning classroom activity to enhance students' ability to understand psychological disorders and distinguish among anxiety, mood, and psychotic disorders. We employed a group interviewing approach with the instructor (or a graduate student) serving as the pseudo-client. Students interacted with a pseudo-client to arrive…

The author examines implications of the P.L. 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) definition of learning disability, and cites two cases to illustrate two basic problems: that the definition is both overinclusive and underinclusive, and that it does not consider underlying causes. (CL)

Presidential address at 1990 annual meetings of the American Association of Suicidology provides overview of how suicide assessment could be improved in the next decade. Focuses on new assessment rationale and techniques to improve suicide assessment. Describes both suicide assessment techniques that have been used for years and newer techniques…

Reviews studies on suicidal behavior in depressed patients, including study showing that depressed patients who had attempted suicide had significantly reduced CSF concentrations of dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA) and significantly lower urinary outputs of HVA than patients who had not attempted suicide. Considers role of diminished…

We investigated the extent to which clinician-assigned diagnoses of emotional and behavioral disorders and clinicians' perceptions of client change are consistent with structured measures of youth clinical functioning and parent/family characteristics within the context of usual care or "real world" psychotherapy. A total of 54 therapists from two…

Objective: Behavioral rating scales are common instruments used in evaluations of ADHD and executive function. It is important to explore how different diagnostic groups perform on these measures, as this information can be used to provide criterion-related validity evidence for the measures. Method: Data from 92 children and adolescents were used…

A parent-report instrument, the First Year Inventory (FYI), was developed to assess behaviors in 12-month-old infants that suggest risk for an eventual diagnosis of autism. The target behaviors were identified from retrospective and prospective studies. FYIs were mailed to 5,941 families and 25% (N = 1,496) were returned, with higher return rates…

This article has two major objectives. Firstly, the need for distance education (DE) in Mongolia's health sector is examined. A project is reported with the general objective of initiating research, development, and experimentation in distance-based medical diagnosis and consultancy, and in DE for rural medical doctors using Internet-based…

Objective: This literature review describes evaluation and treatment of minority youth with ADHD. Method: A search of databases for reports of ADHD in minority children was conducted. Results: Interpretation of behavior varies among parents, as does their trust in health care providers and school personnel. Parents desire to avoid stigmatization…