Independence training vs modeling procedures for teaching phone conversation skills to the mentally retarded

Forty-five mildly mentally retarded adults were assessed for deficits in telephone conversational skills. They were ranked on the basis of their pretest scores and matched into triplets on skill level. One member from each of these groups was then randomly assigned to either a no-treatment control group, a modeling condition or independence training—a treatment that incorporated social reinforcement, instructions, performance feedback, modeling, shaping by successive approximations and self-monitoring and evaluation. For the two latter conditions, treatment was provided three times weekly for 2 months in group sessions (N = 5) of 1 hr duration. The dependent variable, conversational skills of subjects was assessed at pretest, posttest and at a 3-month follow-up based on verbal responses that subjects made to nine questions asked by an experimenter and related social responses during a phone call. Independence training proved to be significantly more effective than the other two experimental conditions at posttest and follow-up. In addition, modeling proved to be significantly more effective than the no-treatment controls at both of these assessment points.     

Empowering Latino Church Leaders to Deal with the HIV-AIDS Crisis: A Strengths-Oriented Service Model

Ideology and attitudes of Latino church leaders in the United States toward HIV/AIDS are explored. A qualitative approach utilized with emergent categories including: a desire within the Latino church for greater acceptance of HIV/AIDS sufferers, the supposed contaminating influence of HIV/AIDS individuals over other church members, and the feelings of helplessness many church members experience in relation to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Understanding ideological resistance that prevents engagement is here identified and a strategy of empowerment of church leaders is recommended to overcome it including: adopting a strengths-oriented service model that focuses on resources religious denominations already have, as opposed to a financially driven, medically oriented service model that highlights what churches often do not have; church leaders educating health care agencies on how to use religious beliefs to motivate church members to work on behalf of HIV/AIDS patients; the power of doctrinal ideology in affecting church and civil society’s response to HIV/AIDS.     

The Moderating Effect of Anxiety on Development in Atypically Developing Toddlers

In typically developing children, researchers have found that anxiety disorders are associated with poorer intellectual abilities (Davis et al. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 30:43–51, 2008). The aim of the current study was to examine the impact anxiety symptoms had on the developmental quotients of toddlers. A total of 170 toddlers ranging in age from 17 to 37 months were selected for inclusion in this study, all of whom were at risk for or had a developmental delay. Two factors indicative of behavioral symptoms of anxiety from the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits-Part2 were utilized as the independent variables and the total developmental quotient from the Battelle Developmental Inventory, 2nd Edition was utilized for the dependent variable. Examination of results revealed that atypically developing toddlers with symptoms of anxiety had significantly lower developmental quotients when compared to toddlers without any anxiety symptoms. A discussion of the implications and limitations of this study are included.     

The effect of communication deficits on anxiety symptoms in infants and toddlers with autism spectrum disorders

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are life-long developmental disorders characterized by impairments in the development of reciprocal social and communication skills, abnormal language development, and a restricted repertoire of behaviors and interests. While it has been known for some time that children with ASD can evince elevated rates of anxiety symptoms, little research has been conducted on whether deficits in communication skills affect the range of anxiety symptoms in infants and toddlers with ASD. This study represents a first attempt to determine whether deficits in communication skills have an effect on the expression of anxiety in infants and toddlers with autistic disorder and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified. Seven hundred thirty-five infants were evaluated with respect to the nature and extent of anxiety symptoms and developmental functioning. Both receptive and expressive communication skills appeared to play a significant role in the manifestation of anxiety symptoms.     

“Deeply Woven Roots”: Health Initiatives and Community Social Services of Faith-Based Organizations of the Hidalgo County,Texas

Faith-based organizations (FBO) continue to play a significant role in the lives of individuals and communities in the United States. This study focused on the contributions of FBO to the health and well-being of residents of Rio Grande Valley, South Texas. Specifically, this study examined two main areas of involvement of FBO in Hidalgo County, Texas: health initiatives and community social services. Despite their influential and historical involvement, FBO partnership in the delivery of health and social services is not well accounted for. This study explores the characteristics of the clergy, parishioners, and FBO that are associated with community health initiatives and social services. Analyses revealed that FBO deliver a remarkably wide range of services. On a weekly basis, one in six or 17 % of Hidalgo County residents were reported as receiving some form of health assistance or social services from county FBO. Variations exist depending on the characteristics of the clergy and the FBO. Policy and practice recommendations include engaging in additional networking, organizing resources, and strengthening FBO health initiatives.     

The Meaning of Emotion in the White Afrikaans Language Group: A Componential Emotion Theory Approach

This study determined the meaning of emotion in a sample of white Afrikaans-speaking adults (n=120; males =32, females=88, age range =18–48+ years). Data were collected using the Meaning Grid (Scherer, 2005). The analysis examined the factor loadings of emotion words via a factor analysis and factor scores of 24 emotion terms were determined. Results indicated the following dimensions to characterize the meaning of emotion in the sample: activation-pleasantness, arousal/unpredictability and a power-control. The conclusion can be drawn that four dimensions are needed to satisfactory represent the meaning of emotion words in the white Afrikaans language group.     

A Third Moment Adjusted Test Statistic for Small Sample Factor Analysis

Goodness-of-fit testing in factor analysis is based on the assumption that the test statistic is asymptotically chi-square, but this property may not hold in small samples even when the factors and errors are normally distributed in the population. Robust methods such as Browne's (1984) asymptotically distribution-free method and Satorra Bentler's (1988, 1994) mean scaling statistic were developed under the presumption of nonnormality in the factors and errors. This article finds new application to the case where factors and errors are normally distributed in the population but the skewness of the obtained test statistic is still high due to sampling error in the observed indicators. An extension of Satorra Bentler's statistic is proposed that not only scales the mean but also adjusts the degrees of freedom based on the skewness of the obtained test statistic in order to improve its robustness under small samples. A simple simulation study shows that this third moment adjusted statistic asymptotically performs on par with previously proposed methods and at a very small sample size offers superior Type I error rates under a properly specified model. Data from Mardia, Kent, and Bibby's (1980) study of students tested for their ability in 5 content areas that were either open or closed book were used to illustrate the real-world performance of this statistic.     

MOTHERS AS EFFECTIVE THERAPISTS FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN'S PHOBIAS

Two autistic children were treated for specific fears. A three-component participant modeling procedure was implemented within a multiple baseline design across subjects. Children were exposed gradually to fearful situations, with mothers serving as therapists and reinforcers. Dependent measures were (a) number of approach steps completed, (b) frequency of verbalizations and vocalizations of fear, and (c) overall appearance of fear. Following treatment, the children functioned effectively in previously fearful situations without verbalizations or appearance of fear. Five-month and 1-year follow-up assessments with 1 child showed maintenance of treatment effects.     

Independence training as a method of enhancing self-help skills acquisition of the mentally retarded

This study examined the effectiveness of independence training which involved using social reinforcement, information feedback, modeling and evaluation of self and others in teaching showering behavior to institutionalized mentally retarded adults. A treatment and a non-treatment group of 36 subjects each were used to assess training and maintenance of the target behavior. Analysis of results showed that treatment and no-treatment groups did not differ on baseline scores. However, residents in the treatment group performed significantly better than no-treatment subjects on post-test and three-month follow-up. Staff were of the opinion at post-test that treatment was perceived to be acceptable and nonpunitive.