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Biomedical subjects

J L Matson

Publications and source records attributed to J L Matson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

A comparison of social skills in adults with autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, and mental retardation.

We examined the social skills of adults with autism, PDDNOS, and mental retardation. All participants were diagnosed with profound mental retardation. Participants in the autism and PDDNOS groups had been previously diagnosed using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and record review. These diagnoses were confirmed by readministering the CARS by one author and an independent rater. Social skills were assessed by using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills in the Severely Retarded. Significant differences between the autism and mental retardation groups were found on both measures. The PDDNOS group demonstrated better positive nonverbal social skills than the autism group but not the mental retardation group. Special treatment needs of institutionalized adults with autism appear warranted along with a need to clarify further the differences between PDDNOS and mental retardation.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Behavior problems of children with Down syndrome and life events.

Behavior problems of 44 children with Down syndrome between the ages of 6 and 15 and 44 controls without mental retardation matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status were compared on the basis of mother and teacher ratings. Ratings from both sources indicated that children with Down syndrome had more behavior problems, in particular attention deficit, noncompliance, thought disorder, and social withdrawal. Life events from the past year were significantly associated with mother but not teacher ratings of Down syndrome behavior problems.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

Seizure disorders in people with intellectual disability: an analysis of differences in social functioning, adaptive functioning and maladaptive behaviours.

The present study is an investigation into the effects of seizure disorders/epilepsy on psychopathology, social functioning, adaptive functioning and maladaptive behaviours using a sample of 353 people diagnosed with a seizure disorder, and either severe or profound intellectual disability. People with a diagnosis of seizure disorder were found to have significantly less social and adaptive skills when compared to developmentally disabled controls with no seizure disorder diagnosis. Additionally, patterns of maladaptive behaviours were identified for individuals with seizure disorders and found to be similar to those found in people without seizure activity. The implications of the present findings are discussed.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1999

Reliability of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills in Individuals with Severe Retardation (MESSIER).

Recently, the concepts of social competence and social skills have become important aspects of the evolving definitions of mental retardation. However, no psychometrically sound instruments exist for assessing social skills in lower functioning developmentally disabled people. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills for Individuals with Severe Retardation (MESSIER)--a new scale designed to measure social skills in adults with severe developmental disabilities. The authors conducted a preliminary evaluation of the test-retest and interrater reliability of the MESSIER. It was determined that the MESSIER has high stability across raters and good stability over time. In addition, good internal consistency was established with coefficient alpha. Potential uses for the scale and directions for future research are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Factor structure of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills for Individuals with Severe Retardation (MESSIER).

OBJECTIVE: A factor analysis of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills for Individuals with Severe Retardation (MESSIER) was conducted to determine if there was an underlying factor structure which supported a distinction between positive and negative social skills. DESIGN: Principal Axis Factoring with oblimin rotation was used to determine if a two-factor solution was valid. This method was selected to account for shared variance between the items and for correlation between the factors. METHOD: The MESSIER was administered by trained staff to 805 individuals with severe and profound intellectual disability residing in a state residential facility. RESULTS: Results of the factor analysis yielded two categories (positive and negative behaviours) that corresponded to the general division of the clinically derived subscales. CONCLUSIONS: The psychometric research on the MESSIER was extended with an examination of the factor structure. The results of the factor analysis, corresponding with the general division of the clinically derived subscales, are promising. Future research should be conducted to determine if factor scores can be used to determine norms.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Validity of the Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder subscale of the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped-II.

This study was designed to establish the empirical validity of the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped-II (DASH-II) to screen for the presence of autism in severely and profoundly mentally retarded adults. Participants included 51 individuals residing in a large developmental center in Central Louisiana. The Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder subscale of the DASH-II was internally consistent. Additionally, the DASH-II was just as likely as the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) to classify autistic and control individuals. Specific items on the subscale were examined to identify those items most associated with a diagnosis of autism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

A comparison of behavioral techniques to teach functional independent-living skills to individuals with severe and profound mental retardation.

The efficacy of two treatment approaches was compared for functional skill acquisition in individuals with severe and profound mental retardation. Participants included 22 residents from a large developmental center (Pinecrest) in central Louisiana. Treatment including staff training, feedback, and edible reinforcement in addition to prompting, modeling, and physical guidance was more effective than prompting, modeling, and physical guidance alone. Additionally, daily documentation of teaching did not enhance treatment effectiveness. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1997

Evaluating behavioral techniques in training individuals with severe and profound mental retardation to use functional independent living skills.

Three treatment approaches were evaluated for functional skill acquisition in individuals with severe and profound mental retardation. The control condition comprised the standard treatment protocol: verbal prompting, modeling, and physical guidance. The first condition added the components of staff training, feedback, and edible reinforcement for clients. The second treatment condition supplemented the first by the addition of verbal and edible reinforcement for staff. Subjects included 30 residents from a large developmental center (Pinecrest) in central Louisiana. The control protocol proved to be an ineffective training regimen. Experimental 1 led to statistically significant increase in learning when compared to controls. Experimental 2 led to additional statistically significant improvements beyond those achieved by Experimental 1. Daily documentation was once again shown not to enhance treatment effectiveness. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1997

Psychopathology in older adults with severe and profound mental retardation.

The prevalence of psychopathology in younger and older adults with severe and profound mental retardation was examined. Participants were evaluated by direct-care staff using the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped (DASH), which measures the frequency, duration, and severity of symptoms associated with 13 major psychiatric disorders derived from the DSM-III-R. The frequency of disorders was comparable for younger and older adults. Age group differences favoring the older adults were revealed in the analyses of duration and severity on 4 of the DASH subscales. Implications of these findings for research and practice were discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Empirically derived subtypes of pervasive developmental disorders: a cluster analytic study.

A cluster analytic study was conducted to empirically derive behaviorally homogeneous subtypes of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). Subjects were clustered based on a broad range of behavioral symptoms which characterize autism. Behavioral variables were measured using several of the standardized psychometric instruments most commonly employed in assessing autistic individuals. The cluster solution indicated the presence of four distinct groups. Validity checks generally confirmed significant between-group differences on independent measures of social, language, and stereotyped behaviors. In addition, the four-group cluster solution was compared to previously developed typological systems of PDD (i.e., subcategories based on IQ early onset, styles of social interaction, and DSM-III-R diagnosis). Results generally supported both the behavioral homogeneity of the four subgroups and also several important between-group differences. The potential utility of using cluster analyses to explore subtypes of PDD is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

A social skills training program for preschoolers with developmental delays. Generalization and social validity.

This investigation was designed to assess a social skills training program with 32 developmentally delayed preschoolers. Subjects were evaluated in an unstructured play session, matched for levels of appropriate and inappropriate social behaviors, and assigned to either a treatment or control condition. The treatment group (N = 16) was presented with a 6-week protocol involving positive reinforcement, modeling, rehearsal, feedback, and time out. Controls (N = 16) received no instruction beyond regular classroom activities during the 6 weeks. The two groups were reevaluated in a posttest session and again in a generalization setting where two peers with developmental delays (not included in either experimental condition) were included. Prosocial behaviors were successfully taught and maintained in generalization settings. Efforts to reduce inappropriate behaviors were less successful. A test of social validity via teachers' ratings of videotapes of pretest and posttest assessments was also conducted. Implications for generalization and social validity research are discussed.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1994

Comparison of psychotic and autistic children using behavioral observation.

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between autism and childhood psychosis. Fifteen children with psychotic symptoms were compared to 15 children with autism, using two observational measures, the Ritvo-Freeman Real Life Rating Scale (RLRS) and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), which rate subjects on behaviors pathognomic to autism. In comparison to autistic persons, psychotic individuals were judged to have better language and social skills. In addition, autistic persons were also rated as having more difficulty adapting to new situations and appeared more "autistic-like." Overall scores on the CARS and RLRS were significantly different between the two groups, indicating that these two assessment instruments may be useful in differential diagnosis. However, 20% of the psychotic subjects received pervasive developmental disorder diagnoses, indicating that there may be a relationship between those two disorders.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1994

Theories of dual diagnosis in mental retardation.

Dual diagnosis, defined in this instance as the co-occurrence of mental health disorders with mental retardation, has become a major area of clinical practice and research in the past 10 years. Whereas areas such as differential diagnosis, assessment, and prevalence have been major focuses of research, etiologies of dual diagnosis have received less attention. Current etiological theories have practical implications for the treatment and prevention of dual diagnoses and suggest important directions for future research. This article provides a historical review of theory development in the field of dual diagnosis. Current status of etiological theories and future directions are discussed with an aim toward encouraging further study.

Comorbidity↗
PubMed1994

Generalizing spontaneous language in developmentally delayed children via a visual cue procedure using caregivers as therapists.

Developmentally delayed children are recognized by deficits in language, motor skills, and social interaction. The importance of this topic is demonstrated by the fact that many studies have focused on increasing different aspects of this population's language. New training elements for this population were used here (e.g., the visual cue method was used in home settings). Caregivers were trained as therapists to teach children spontaneous speech by targeting two behaviors. The visual cue method was effective for increasing spontaneous speech in developmentally delayed children in the home. This finding is significant in that home training with caregivers promoted generalization of language by programming common stimuli. Implication of these data for future research is discussed.

Caregivers↗
PubMed1993

The differential validity of hyperactivity/attention deficits and conduct problems among mentally retarded children.

The independence of hyperactivity, attention deficits, and conduct problems among mentally retarded children was addressed using factors of the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale-39 (CTRS-39) and the more recently developed IOWA Conners' inattention/overactivity (IO) and aggression (A) subscales. CTRS-39 ratings were obtained for children of normal intelligence and for mentally retarded children. Differences between the groups were examined as were intercorrelations of the Conners' factors and IOWA subscales. Conduct problems proved to be less strongly associated with hyperactivity and attention deficits among mentally retarded children compared to children of normal intelligence. However, attention problems and conduct problems may be associated with mental retardation in general. Implications of these data and CTRS scoring system recommendations for mentally retarded children are discussed.

Aggression↗
PubMed1993

Using independence training to teach independent living skills to children and young men with visual impairments.

Two groups of students with visual impairments were taught various independent living skills. Of the 7 students, 5 also had a diagnosis of mental retardation. One group (3 first graders) was taught the tasks of folding a shirt, making an emergency telephone call, and spreading soft foods with a knife. The other group (4 young men) was taught to increase leisure skills through three different leather-work tasks. Independence training was conducted in a group format and included social learning components (e.g., self-evaluation, peer evaluation and reinforcement) in addition to traditional operant procedures (e.g., modeling, prompting). However, because of the presence of visual impairments, a physical and verbal modification of modeling was used, whereby the subject was physically guided through the steps and simultaneously provided with a narration of the steps. A multiple baseline design across behaviors demonstrated the efficacy of the comprehensive training package in training various independent living skills to the two groups of visually impaired and mentally retarded students. Social validity measures demonstrated the clinical significance of the subsequent changes in behavioral skills. Follow-up data collected 10 months after the completion of training indicated a good degree of maintenance. The current positive results show that training procedures used exclusively with persons with mental retardation can be modified and be effective with a different and younger population, while targeting different independent living skills.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1993

An evaluation of two methods for increasing self-initiated verbalizations in autistic children.

Three children with autism and mental retardation were treated for deficits in self-initiated speech. A novel treatment package employing visual cue fading was compared with a graduated time-delay procedure previously shown to be effective for increasing self-initiated language. Both treatments included training multiple self-initiated verbalizations using multiple therapists and settings. Both treatments were effective, with no differences in measures of acquisition of target phrases, maintenance of behavioral gains, acquisition with additional therapists and settings, and social validity.

Autistic Disorder↗