ABSTRACT
The Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC; Aman, Singh, Stewart, & Field, 1985a, 1985b) is a 58-item third-party informant rating scale originally developed for institutionalized, low-functioning adolescents and adults. The present study investigated the appropriateness of the scale for youngsters with dual diagnosis of mental retardation and psychiatric disturbance. Over a period of 2 1/2 years, 204 patients (199 after data reduction) from a child psychiatry unit were rated twice daily by direct care staff. Data analysis addressed internal consistency, interrater reliability, criterion validity, and robustness of the factor structure. Internal consistency was satisfactory with alpha coefficients ranging from .82 to .94. Interrater reliability varied between subscales but was relatively low (Pearson correlations between .39 to .61). In terms of its criterion validity, the ABC was sensitive to psychiatric diagnoses and age and the original 5-factor structure was robust (congruence coefficients ranged between .80 to .89). Yet, only a relatively small proportion of the variance (31.5%) was explained by factor analysis indicating possible limitations of the ABC for this population. Given the paucity of assessment instruments for this particular population and the difficulty involved in developing new population-specific instruments, the ABC can be recommended for children and adolescents with dual diagnosis.
Subject(s)
Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Intellectual Disability/diagnosis , Mental Disorders/diagnosis , Personality Tests , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Child, Preschool , Female , Hospitalization , Humans , Intellectual Disability/psychology , Male , Mental Disorders/psychology , Personality Tests/statistics & numerical data , Psychometrics , Social Behavior , Social EnvironmentABSTRACT
The use of CNS stimulant medication for the treatment of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH) in subnormal intelligence children remains controversial, and the majority of the literature does not support the use of CNS stimulants in these children, although the choice of dependent variables and research designs may have contributed to this outcome. A single case research design was used to assess the effectiveness of CNS stimulant medication (methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine) in three subnormal intelligence children with ADDH, using excessive movement and on-task behaviors as dependent variables. The results and implications for future research are discussed.
Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/drug therapy , Behavior Therapy/methods , Dextroamphetamine/therapeutic use , Intellectual Disability/drug therapy , Methylphenidate/therapeutic use , Child , Clinical Trials as Topic , Combined Modality Therapy , Double-Blind Method , Humans , Male , Token EconomyABSTRACT
This study investigated the usefulness of aversive conditioning of a mild punishment procedure that had ceased to suppress target behaviors to clinically acceptable levels. A 6.8-year-old severely retarded boy with high levels of aggressive, destructive, and loud screeching behaviors was readmitted to a psychiatric facility to adjust behavioral programs and rule out seizure disorder. A design combining withdrawal and multiple baselines across behaviors tested for effects of aversive conditioning of visual screening with ammonia and the impact of anticonvulsant medication (carbamazepine, phenytoin). Data indicated that aversively conditioned visual screening temporarily lowered rates of responding. It is tentatively concluded that aversive conditioning might be a useful mechanism to strengthen suppressive effects of mild punishment procedures and a promising approach for alleviating placement problems due to maladaptive behaviors in mentally retarded persons. Maintenance of treatment effects, community placement, and the mandate to choose the least restrictive aversive treatment alternative are discussed. Anticonvulsant medication showed no beneficial effect for the target behaviors investigated.
Subject(s)
Aversive Therapy/methods , Child Behavior Disorders/therapy , Anticonvulsants/therapeutic use , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/complications , Combined Modality Therapy , Humans , Intellectual Disability/complications , Male , PunishmentABSTRACT
Ninety-nine mild to severely mentally retarded adults were evaluated on a variety of measures. The battery included the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT), the Psychopathology Instrument for Mentally Retarded Adults, the Social Performance Survey Schedule, Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression, the Beck Depression Inventory and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Depression and social skills measures correlated significantly with each other on self-report and informant reports. Receptive vocabulary did not significantly correlate with depression or social skills measures, irrespective of self or other report format. Additionally, demographic variables such as intellectual level were not significant. The PPVT mean scores differed significantly by level of mental retardation as might be expected. The significance of these data and their implication for further study are reviewed.
Subject(s)
Depressive Disorder/psychology , Intellectual Disability/psychology , Intelligence , Social Behavior , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Psychological Tests , Psychometrics , Social Adjustment , VocabularyABSTRACT
Thirty-one mentally retarded emotionally disturbed children, hospitalized within a university medical school's psychiatric intensive care program, were matched on age and sex and compared to 31 children from a normal school setting on depression. Measures included the Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Child Behavior Profile (CBP), with children being compared on total and subfactor scores for both measures. Depression and its various subcomponents were more prevalent in the mentally retarded group. There were no significant sex or age differences. Degree of overall psychopathology and depression were highly related. The relationship between criteria for depression on the CDI and CBC were also made. Correlational data showed a strong relationship between the cut-off scores for both measures, an important finding because they were based on norms established with children of normal intelligence. These data suggest that similarities exist between depression in mentally retarded children and those without such cognitive handicaps. The relationship of depression to other forms of psychopathology in the group of 31 emotionally disturbed mentally retarded children was also examined. A wide range of disorders including schizophrenia, aggression, withdrawal, and hyperactivity were evaluated. These are the first empirical data with mentally retarded children in the United States that are aimed specifically at evaluating depression, and should be useful to the clinicians in better understanding the phenomenon.
Subject(s)
Depressive Disorder/complications , Intellectual Disability/complications , Adolescent , Analysis of Variance , Child , Child, Preschool , Depressive Disorder/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Mental Disorders/complications , Personality InventoryABSTRACT
In Study One the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) was scored by teachers for 96 deaf children ranging from normal intelligence through mentally retarded. Inter-item and split-half correlations were high, and internal consistency of particular items correlated to the scale as a whole was high. Items that were particularly spurious were looking and smiling at others, an interesting finding since these social behaviors are frequently targeted in treatment research. Therefore, re-evaluating behaviors which should receive priority for treatment may need to be considered at least with deaf children. In Study Two, these children were evaluated on social (MESSY) and emotional behavior (AML), and self-concept (Piers-Harris). Correlations between scales showed the greatest relationship between social and emotional responses. The implications of these data are discussed.
Subject(s)
Affective Symptoms/diagnosis , Deafness/psychology , Interpersonal Relations , Adolescent , Adult , Affective Symptoms/complications , Child , Deafness/complications , Female , Humans , Intelligence , Male , Psychometrics , Self ConceptSubject(s)
Blindness/psychology , Fear , Adaptation, Psychological , Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Psychological TestsSubject(s)
Fear , Psychology, Adolescent , Psychology, Child , Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Personality InventorySubject(s)
Depressive Disorder/diagnosis , Psychological Tests , Adolescent , Age Factors , Child , Child, Preschool , Factor Analysis, Statistical , Female , Humans , Male , Psychometrics , Social BehaviorSubject(s)
Behavior Therapy/methods , Myopia/therapy , Adult , Female , Goals , Humans , Male , Visual AcuityABSTRACT
In the current study, two experiments were conducted to establish the reliability of a scale developed with persons of normal intelligence for the assessment of social skill deficits and excesses of the mentally retarded. The experiment was divided into two studies. The first was aimed at establishing which of the 100 items could be accurately rated by having pairs of staff independently score 22 mild and moderately retarded adults who were outpatients at a local community mental health center. A correlation of r = .30 was established as a minimum cut off for reliability. With this criterion, 57 items were selected from the scale for further testing. In the second study, 207 different patients from the same outpatient clinic, from the mental retardation center of a nearby state psychiatric hospital and from Champaign, Illinois, were assessed on the 57-item Social Performance Survey Schedule. A factor analysis was then run and four subscales of the assessment instrument were established. Implications of the findings are discussed.
