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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
PubMed2007

What symptoms predict the diagnosis of mania in persons with severe/profound intellectual disability in clinical practice?

BACKGROUND: While researchers have attempted to address the difficulties of diagnosing affective disorders in the intellectually disabled population, diagnosing bipolar disorder in an individual with severe intellectual disability (ID) remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to identify what symptoms can predict a diagnosis of mania in the intellectually disabled population. METHODS: Three groups of persons with ID participated in this study: (1) individuals with a bipolar diagnosis who were currently manic; (2) individuals with an Axis I diagnosis other than bipolar disorder; and (3) individuals without an Axis I diagnosis. Two recognized measures of mania (i.e. Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped-Revised and Parent Version of Young Mania Rating Scale) were used to evaluate symptoms of mania. A logistical regression procedure was conducted on mania items to identify which items correctly identify persons with ID who were currently manic. RESULTS: Psychomotor agitation, decreased sleep, changes in mood and aggression were significantly related to the diagnosis of mania. Further, psychomotor agitation and disturbed sleep were significant predictors of a diagnosis of mania. CONCLUSIONS: Problems of sleep and psychomotor agitation should alert clinicians that further assessment of bipolar symptomatology is warranted. Focusing on observable behaviours based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder-IV criteria can be useful in formulating a diagnosis of bipolar disorder in persons with ID.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Correlates of restraint use in an institutional population: a replication.

BACKGROUND: Reducing inappropriate restraint is an important mission of services for people with intellectual disabilities (IDs). METHODS: In this study, 52 clients who had been restrained were compared with 52 other clients, individually matched on age, gender and level of IDs. Participants were mostly adults with severe and profound IDs in an institutional setting. RESULTS: The two groups differed on six Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped-II (DASH-II) and three Aberrant Behaviour Checklist (ABC) scales. However, discriminant functional analysis demonstrated that only DASH-II Impulse control disorder and ABC Irritability and Elimination disorder scores predicted group membership but only moderately. CONCLUSIONS: Individual differences in maladaptive behaviours were only moderately predictive of restraint use.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The Behavior Problems Inventory: an instrument for the assessment of self-injury, stereotyped behavior, and aggression/destruction in individuals with developmental disabilities.

The Behavior Problems Inventory (BPI-01) is a 52-item respondent-based behavior rating instrument for self-injurious, stereotypic, and aggressive/destructive behavior in mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. Items are rated on a frequency scale and a severity scale. The BPI-01 was administered by interviewing direct care staff of 432 randomly selected residents from a developmental center between the ages of 14 to 91 years. For 73% of those selected, at least one problem was endorsed on the BPI-01. A total of 43% showed self-injury, 54% stereotyped behavior, and 38% aggressive/destructive behavior. Confirmatory factor analysis and item-total correlations supported the three a priori factors. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) showed that of the variables age, sex, and level of mental retardation, only the latter had a significant effect on the BPI-01 total score, the SIB subscale score, and the Stereotyped Behavior subscale score. Aggression/destruction was not significantly related to any of the three variables. Individuals with a diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder had higher scores on all three subscales than those without, whereas residents with a diagnosis of stereotyped movement disorder had higher Stereotyped Behavior scale scores than those without. The BPI-01 was found to be a reliable (retest reliability, internal consistency, and between-interviewer-agreement) and valid (factor and criterion validity) behavior rating instrument for problem behaviors in mental retardation and developmental disabilities with a variety of potentially useful applications. Strengths and limitations of the instrument are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Assessment of the convergent validity of the Questions About Behavioral Function scale with analogue functional analysis and the Motivation Assessment Scale.

The present study examined the convergent validity of the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) scale, a behavioural checklist for assessing variables maintaining aberrant behaviour, with analogue functional analyses and the Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS). The two checklists were more highly correlated with each other than either checklist with results from the analogue sessions, and the QABF was more highly correlated with analogue sessions than the MAS. Using analogue sessions, the experimenters failed to ascertain behavioural function for a number of subjects because the behaviour problems in question were low frequency/high intensity and failed to appear during the course of the analysis, pointing out a limitation of this technology. These findings, taken together with recent research outlining the psychometric properties of the QABF, seem to support the use of the QABF in a hierarchical model of functional analysis. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Characteristics of schizophrenia among persons with severe or profound mental retardation.

The symptoms of schizophrenia were examined in a residential sample of adults with severe or profound mental retardation. Three groups were compared: those with a significant elevation on the schizophrenia subscale of the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped (DASH-II) and a psychiatric diagnosis of schizophrenia; those with a significant elevation on the same subscale but no formal diagnosis of schizophrenia; and those with no elevation on any of the DASH-II subscales. A one-way analysis of variance showed statistically significant differences between the groups. Symptoms of schizophrenia among those in the first group were found to fall mainly into the categories of reality distortion and disorganization, with less evidence of negative symptoms.

Adult↗
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↗