Objectives: To understand the current status of intellectually disabled children and the prevalence of intellectual disability (ID) in children aged 0-6 years and its risk factors, and to provide scientific evidence to formulate relevant policies for helping intellectually disabled children. Methods: Multiphase, stratified, unequal proportional…

Neuropsychological functioning of 30 siblings of children with autism (AU-S), 28 siblings of children with mental retardation of (MR-S), and 30 siblings of children with developmental language delay (DLD-S) was compared. Two siblings, both AU-S, received diagnoses of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). More siblings with cognitive disabilities…

Family histories, comprehensive physical examinations, and chromosome analyses of 35 males with autism were performed. Results indicated that the fragile X syndrome may be present in less than 16 percent of persons whose family history or physical features suggest the condition's possible presence. Screening 42 autistic children for…

Demographic projections indicate that the population of the Western world is aging, and evidence suggests an increase in the incidence of conditions, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), that produce visual impairments and result in low vision (Maberley et al., 2006). It is expected that in the United States and Canada, the annual…

Originally described by Leo Kanner (1943) and recognized as a special education eligibility category by the U.S. Department of Education in 1990 (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA], 1990), autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by deficits in reciprocal social interactions, communication, and interests and behaviors.…

Objective: This study evaluated the diagnostic process and prevalence rates of Asperger syndrome (AS) according to the DSM-IV, ICD-10, and criteria developed by Gillberg and Gillberg and by Szatmari and colleagues and clarified confusion about AS. Method: An epidemiological study of 5,484 eight-year-old children in Finland, 4,422 (80.6%) of whom…

This article presents the author's comments on Simon and Lichten's "Defining Mental Retardation: A Matter of Life and Death." Lichten and Simon (2007) argued for the use of a Total Quotient (TQ) that combines existing IQ and adaptive functioning scores into a single index. They proposed that the TQ index will improve the accuracy of mental…

The German version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used in a study to examine its usefulness in diagnosing socioemotional problems of deaf and hard of hearing children. The SDQ parent version was completed by 213 mothers and 213 fathers. The factor structure and reliability were tested, and the prevalence rate of…

The literature on schizophrenia in individuals with mental retardation is reviewed, and the clinical features, symptomatology, diagnostic parameters, and treatment approaches are briefly discussed. Data are presented about prevalence rates, degree of mental retardation, male/female distribution, and age of onset. (Author/PB)

Notes that numerous studies have examined prevalence of psychiatric disorders among people with mental retardation, and wide range of rates have been reported. Discusses reasons for variability in these results, including definitional and identification issues, and sampling issues. Presents summary of representative studies. Emphasizes need for…

This study compared parental psychiatric symptom severity, and the absence or presence of severe substance abuse, as predictors of contact with minor children for a representative sample of adults with diagnoses of serious mental illness (N = 45). Child contact and psychiatric symptom severity were measured during regularly scheduled 6-month…

Objectives: To describe the incidence and clinical features of children presenting to Australian child health specialists with conversion disorder. Method: Active, national surveillance of conversion disorder in children younger than 16 years of age during 2002 and 2003. Results: A total of 194 children were reported on. The average age was 11.8…

The National Society for Autistic Children sets forth the essential features (disturbances of developmental rates and sequence; of responses to sensory stimuli; of speech, language-cognition and nonverbal communication; and of the capacity to appropriately relate to people, events, and objects) and associated features of autism. (CL)

Based on a study of the prevalence of nocturnal enuresis in a random sample of 2,070 children aged 4 to 16 years, argues that the DSM III age limit for enuresis should be raised to 8 years for boys. (NH)

Reviews epidemiology and natural history of human immunodeficiency virus-Type 1 (HIV-1) infection. Discusses early and late clinical manifestations, diagnosis of infection, incubation and latency periods, and survival time. Reviews data from published literature on distribution of HIV infection in adult United States population and factors that…