Difficulties in finding, keeping, and ensuring the competence of the direct support workforce in community developmental disability services has long been a challenge for individuals, families, providers, and policy makers. Direct support staff recruitment, retention, and competence are widely reported as one of the most significant barriers to the sustainability, growth, and quality of community services for people with developmental disabilities (ANCOR [2001] State of the states report. Alexandria, VA: ANCOR; Colorado Department of Human Services, [2000] Response to Footnote 106 of the FY 2001 appropriations long bill: Capacity of the community services systems for persons with developmental disabilities in Colorado; Hewitt [2000] Dynamics of the workforce crisis. Presentation at the NASDDDS Fall meeting. Alexandria, VA). While long in existence, these challenges are ones of growing concern because the number of people demanding community services is increasing and the population of people from which to recruit workers is declining (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation [2006] The supply of direct support professionals serving individuals with intellectual disabilities and other developmental disabilities: Report to Congress. Washington, DC: Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy, ASPE, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). As the service system moves towards consumer direction, managed care, and more noncategorical service delivery systems, the difficulties of providing for an adequate and well-prepared workforce to support people with developmental disabilities becomes more complex and multifaceted. The solutions to those challenges are also more complex. This article reviews the literature regarding the complexity of the direct support workforce crisis, the effects of this crisis on various stakeholder groups, promising practices designed to address the challenges, and the related practice and policy implications.
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the leading inherited cause of mental retardation. In this article, we review what is known about the language and related problems of individuals with FXS. In doing so, we focus on the syndrome-specific features of the language phenotype and on the organismic (i.e., genetic and individual neurocognitive and behavioral) and environmental factors associated with within-syndrome variation in the phenotype. We also briefly review those aspects of the behavioral phenotype of FXS that are relevant for understanding syndrome-specific features of, and within-syndrome variability in, language. The review includes summaries of research on the prelinguistic foundations for language development and on each of the major components of language (i.e., vocabulary, morphosyntax, and pragmatics). Throughout the review, we point out implications of existing research for intervention as well as directions for future research.
The purpose of this review is to (a) document the current status of conceptualizing and measuring family outcomes related to having a member with an intellectual disability and (b) determine the extent to which family research focuses on internal family characteristics as contrasted to external family support. The reviewers collected 28 articles using the terms well-being, adaptation, family functioning, or family quality of life in the title. Results of our analyses are presented as a comparison between well-being, adaptation, and family functioning articles in one group and family quality of life articles in a second group. Both groups lacked explicit conceptual definitions, theory, and random/representative samples. The articles placed an undue emphasis on maternal participation, and tended to report a single family member score as representative of the whole family. Two major differences between the groups was a tendency for family quality of life studies to be grounded in conceptual frameworks and focus on new instrument development. Recommendations for future research directions are included.
Public financial support for intellectual disability in the United States grew from 2.3 billion in 1955 to 82.6 billion in 2004, and the federal government emerged during this period as the principal provider of such support. Notwithstanding this unprecedented growth in financial support, many inequities persist today in the distribution of financial resources and services across states, communities, families and to individual disabled consumers. Moreover, tens of thousands of persons with intellectual disabilities continue to live in institutions and nursing homes, waiting lists and aging caregivers are growing rapidly, and family support and supported employment programs receive limited funding. Research and training support has declined significantly in comparison to the growing financial commitments for services and income maintenance. To address these and other issues, the author suggests commissioning a new "President's Panel on Intellectual Disability" modeled on President Kennedy's landmark 1961 Panel on Mental Retardation. The new panel would be appointed during the first months of the new presidential administration in 2009 and deliver its report to the President in 2011, commemorating the 50(th) anniversary of the original President's Panel.
Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research ReviewsVolume 13, Issue 1 p. 1-2 Introduction to communication and language development and intervention Steven F. Warren, Corresponding Author Steven F. Warren Guest Editor [email protected] Life Span Institute University of Kansas, Lawerence, KSLife Span Institute, Room 1052, University of Kansas, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawerence, KS 66045-7555Search for more papers by this authorLeonard Abbeduto, Leonard Abbeduto Guest Editor Waisman Center University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WISearch for more papers by this author Steven F. Warren, Corresponding Author Steven F. Warren Guest Editor [email protected] Life Span Institute University of Kansas, Lawerence, KSLife Span Institute, Room 1052, University of Kansas, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawerence, KS 66045-7555Search for more papers by this authorLeonard Abbeduto, Leonard Abbeduto Guest Editor Waisman Center University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WISearch for more papers by this author First published: 26 February 2007 https://doi.org/10.1002/mrdd.20153Citations: 2AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. REFERENCES Abbeduto L,Keller-Bell Y,Richmond EK,Murphy MM. 2006. Research on language development and mental retardation: History, theories, findings, and future directions. In: LM Glidden, editor. International review of research in mental retardation. New York: Academic Press. p 2–39. Dolen TR. 1997. Communication processes and developmental disabilities. Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev 3: 279–368. Rice ML,Warren SF. 2004. Developmental language disorders: from phenotypes to etiologies. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Warren SF,Abbeduto L. 1992. The relation of communication and language development to mental retardation. Am J Ment Retard 97(2): 125–130. Citing Literature Volume13, Issue1Special Issue: Language and Communication2007Pages 1-2 ReferencesRelatedInformation
