Social skills deficits and excesses are a defining aspect of mental retardation (MR). Research indicates that there is an established relationship between social skills and maladaptive behaviors. A number of studies demonstrate that the social competence of individuals with MR and comorbid psychopathology can be enhanced with social skills training. However, to design an effective training package, an accurate assessment of adaptive and social functioning must first be conducted. Unique problems arise when assessing social skills in individuals with severe and profound MR (i.e., individuals often have limited verbal repertoires). Thus, a clinician must often rely on observable behavior and caregiver report rather than self-report. The three most common methods for assessing social skills are behavioral observations, role-playing, and checklists. These assessment strategies will be discussed, as well as suggestions for future research.
Although individuals with handmouthing exhibited more GERD than those who did not handmouth, the findings suggest that handmouthing was most often maintained by non-social reinforcement. The importance of utilising functional assessment methodology for the assessment and treatment of handmouthing is discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.