To better understand the eligibility criteria Michigan districts use to identify students with special learning disabilities, written documents from the Regional Educational Service Agencies were analyzed. The majority of districts had written criteria, and all of the districts with criteria included a severe discrepancy formula. Discrepancy…

This study investigated the role of obstetric complications in determining phenotypic manifestations in tuberous sclerosis (TS), a disorder associated with autism spectrum disorders. Comparison of 43 children with TS and 40 unaffected siblings found children with TS experienced more obstetric complications, but these were related to mild rather…

Objective: To examine the relative contributions of symptom severity, functional impairment, and parental burden in predicting the use of specialist child mental health services over a 4-year period. Method: Between 1999 and 2000, parental Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires were completed on a community-based sample of 1,168 (40% response…

When adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) require a psychiatric admission, general adult mental health units are often used. Specialist units have emerged recently as a care option but there is only limited evidence of their effectiveness. Thus this study aims to describe and evaluate the effectiveness of a specialist inpatient unit and…

Mental illness is more prevalent in people with intellectual disabilities (ID) than in the normal population. The association between mental illness and severity of ID is also of importance in the understanding and treatment of maladaptive and challenging behaviours. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between severity of ID…

Objective: Adolescents' functional impairment has become increasingly important as a criterion for diagnosis and service eligibility as well as a target of therapeutic intervention in mental health settings. This study examines three critical issues in measuring functioning: 1) agreement between parent and adolescent reports of functioning, 2)…

Background: Schizophrenia (SZ) and schizoaffective disorders (SA) are associated with cognitive deficits. Generally, a schizoaffective diagnosis is associated with better prognosis on the level of social integration. It is also well established that cognition is an important factor for good social outcome in schizophrenia. We hypothesized that,…

Purpose: We examined differential effects of cognitive impairment on each of the activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) tasks. Design and Methods: In a 3-year follow-up of community-dwelling elderly persons in Azuchi, Japan, we assessed cognition by using the Hasegawa Dementia Scale. We examined (a) the…

The present study suggests that initial learning rates of young children with autism receiving early, intensive, home-based behavioral intervention are moderately correlated with outcome variables after four years of treatment. 20 children with autism who had Childhood Autism Rating Scale scores between 37.5 and 58 and Vineland Adaptive Behavior…

Objective: No published studies have examined childhood abuse and neglect in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). This study examined the prevalence and clinical correlates of abuse and neglect in individuals with this disorder. Methods: Seventy-five subjects (69.3% female, mean age = 35.4 +/- 12.0) with DSM-IV BDD completed the Childhood Trauma…

Background: Family history of mood disorders and stressful life events are both established risk factors for childhood depression. However, the role of mediators in risk trajectories, which are potential targets for intervention, remains understudied. To date, there have been no investigations of mediating relationships between risk factors and…

Background: Although many children with mental health problems are in contact with primary health care services, few receive appropriate help. Methods: Using a pathways to care model, this paper systematically reviews the literature relating to access to services. It separates out the various stages of help-seeking: parental perception of…

This paper reviews the recent literature on cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence, CVD-related mortality, physiological CVD risk factors, and behavioral CVD risk factors in adults with mental retardation (MR). The literature on the potential influences of modifiable behavioral CVD risk factors and the physiological CVD risk factors are also…

This paper reviews the characteristics and needs of students with high functioning autism. First, it lists 18 common characteristics of autism, then it stresses that autism is defined by the general pattern of characteristics. Next, it discusses how people with high functioning autism differ from those with autism. These differences include higher…

This paper discusses the outcomes of a study that compared the attitudes of 245 parents of preschoolers with and without disabilities and 121 preschool service providers. It was designed to assess global attitudes toward inclusion, benefits and concerns regarding inclusion for children with disabilities, the impact of inclusion on children without…