American journal of mental deficiency最新文献

Eighteen mentally retarded individuals, 20 nonretarded children, and 20 nonretarded adults were exposed to three conditions of an auditory detection task. In the location condition single random nonsimultaneous English letters were presented to both ears. Subjects reported the letters to one preassigned ear. In the meaning condition rapidly presented backward letters containing infrequent target (forward) letters were presented to one ear. Subjects reported the target letters. In the both condition rapidly presented backward letters containing infrequent target (forward) letters were nonsimultaneously presented to both ears. Subjects reported the target letters to one preassigned ear. The retarded subjects and nonretarded children reported significantly fewer target letters across the location, meaning, and both conditions. These groups also demonstrated slower reaction times (RTs) relative to the adult group; however, their RTs remained constant across conditions. We concluded that developmentally immature populations are less efficient at attentional allocation and have a more limited attentional capacity.

Mentally retarded subjects with and without Down syndrome made 2,400 responses on a discrete pursuit-tracking task. Both groups showed significant improvement on the task such that their performance was comparable to nonretarded subjects at the same functional level. Although the previously noted failure (Blais & Kerr, 1986; Kerr & Blais, 1985) of the subjects with Down syndrome to spontaneously use the directional probability information available in the task was moderated, differences remained that may reflect processing limitations.

The context in which directives are given in parent-child interactions was studied for 2 years in 6 families who had children with Down syndrome and 4 families with nonretarded children, beginning when the children were 12 months old. Comparisons were based on chronological, mental, and verbal age. Measures included implicit and explicit directives, children's moods, play behaviors, attention, and compliance behaviors. The hypothesis that all of these parents would give directives in similar situations was supported by the data. The differences found when the children were matched on CA essentially disappeared when MA was considered. All parents showed similar patterns of change over time, but for parents of children with Down syndrome, the significant changes often started 6 to 12 months later than for parents of nonretarded children.

Mentally retarded parents in the community represent a relatively new and increasing population. Due to the parents' limitations, the children are at significant risk for medical, emotional, and cognitive delays and neglect. An estimate of the size of this population that comes to agency attention is needed in order to program supportive services. The methodology and results of a community-based survey to determine the size of this population receiving agency services in a large metropolitan area are described as are the results of a survey interview with a subset of these parents and their children to determine services needed from the parents' perspective.

Effects of various behavioral interventions on stereotyped aerophagic responding by a profoundly mentally retarded, 5-year-old girl were assessed. Aerophagic responding was defined as air swallowing with extreme stomach protrusion, followed by breath-holding. Observations of air swallowing, as well as physiologic measurements related to heart rate and respiratory patterns, were recorded across both baseline and treatment phases of the study. Multiple behavioral interventions were assessed within a laboratory setting using an alternating treatment design format, with the most effective treatment systematically extended to additional settings. Results indicated that a behavior modification treatment package was effective in suppressing the high frequency of this rare stereotyped act to near-zero rates.

Auditory brainstem response (ABR) wave V detection levels, latency, and amplitude were studied in a group of 15 young adults with Down syndrome for whom behavioral measures of hearing sensitivity were also obtained. Comparisons were made to a group of nonretarded control subjects matched by age and sex. Auditory brainstem response detection levels were elevated, response amplitude was reduced, and latency-intensity functions were significantly steeper for the subjects with Down syndrome than for the control group. These findings were associated with a high frequency (8000 Hz) hearing loss prevalent in the otherwise normal-hearing experimental group.

A comparative analysis of the level of financial effort exhibited in the states for financing mental retardation services was presented. States were ranked on a criterion (aggregate personal income) that compensated for differences in each state's financial capacity. During the FYs 1977-1984 period, on a nationwide basis, state governments spent increasingly more of their own funds for community services and increasingly less for institutional operations; however, combined institutional and community services spending was relatively stable. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis on three economic variables was performed: state size, wealth, and degree of federal assistance. All were very poor predictors of community services fiscal effort, implying the presence of more complex determinants of mental retardation spending. Degree of federal assistance was an important, inversely related, predictor of institutional fiscal effort.

The accuracy of the response deprivation and probability differential hypotheses to predict reinforcement effects for mentally retarded persons was evaluated. Fifteen individuals listened to music and looked at slides in baseline phases, in reinforcement schedules and in control phases with no contingent relation between the responses. Individual analysis of instrumental responding indicated increases in those schedules that produced response deprivation but only once in schedules that did not, regardless of the probability differential between responses. The conclusions were that the response deprivation hypothesis identified the necessary and sufficient conditions for producing reinforcement for retarded persons and that this hypothesis might provide an alternative approach to reinforcer selection for retarded individuals.

How children's attitudes toward mentally retarded and nonretarded peers were affected by information highlighting the similarities and differences of those peers was assessed. Eighty fourth- through sixth-grade children viewed either a nonretarded, mildly retarded, or moderately retarded target child in two videotape vignettes. The first showed a target who was reading; the second, a target discussing interests. Children's attitudes and perceived similarity to the target were assessed. Results showed that children judged nonretarded peers more favorably than retarded peers, information about target peers' interests positively affected children's attitudes, children were able to see themselves as similar to retarded target peers, and children who saw themselves as similar to the target peer evaluated that peer more positively than children who did not perceive themselves as similar.

Fragile X syndrome, second only to Down syndrome among etiologies of mental retardation, was discussed. Clinical, intellectual, and anthropometric characteristics from 67 fragile X positive males, 35 fragile X positive females, and 27 obligate carriers among 29 families was presented. Regression analysis showed little correlation between level of intellect and frequency of fragile sites. The mean IQ among the various age groups of male patients decreased with increasing age, and some intellectual deterioration could not be ruled out. Folic acid was suggested as a viable treatment mode among prepubescent males.