Michael L. Matson

Social-Skills Treatments for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders An Overview

Marked advances in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has occurred in the past few decades, primarily using applied behavior analysis. However, reviews of trends in social skills treatment for children with ASDs have been scant, despite a robust and growing empirical literature on the topic. In this selective review of 79 treatment studies, the authors note that the research has been particularly marked by fragmented development, using a range of intervention approaches and definitions of the construct. Modeling and reinforcement treatments have been the most popular model from the outset, with most studies conducted in school settings by teachers or psychologists. Investigators have been particularly attentive to issues of generalization and follow-up. However, large-scale group studies and comparisons of different training strategies are almost nonexistent. These trends and their implications for future research aimed at filling gaps in the existing literature are discussed.

Assessing and treating aggression in children and adolescents with developmental disabilities: a 20‐year overview

Current methods of assessing and treating aggression in children and adolescents with developmental disabilities were reviewed. While a number of measures have been developed to assess aggression in the general population, there are relatively few assessment methods for use with children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. In all, 54 studies on assessment and 62 on treatment were found. All of the assessment studies and 34 of the treatment studies met methodological criteria for this review. There were 22 assessment studies using checklists and 32 using behavioural observations. Of the treatment studies identified, 32 used behavioural interventions and two used pharmacological interventions. The most commonly used treatments were functional communication training and differential reinforcement of other behaviour. While there are still relatively few methodologically sound assessment and treatment studies, the number of viable publications is increasing.

Comorbidity of physical and motor problems in children with autism

Autism and the related pervasive developmental disorders are a heavily researched group of neurodevelopmental conditions. In addition to core symptoms, there are a number of other physical and motor conditions that co-occur at high rates. This paper provides a review of factors and behaviors that correlate highly with disorders on the autism spectrum. Among these conditions are premature birth, birth defects, gross and fine motor skills, and obesity. Each of these topics is addressed, and what researchers have found are presented. These data have important implications for the types of collateral behaviors that should be assessed and treated, along with the core symptoms of autism.

Psychopharmacology research for individuals with mental retardation: methodological issues and suggestions

Psychotropic medications are frequently prescribed for behavior problems and/or psychopathology among individuals with mental retardation (MR). Unfortunately, the methodological integrity of scientific studies that support the use of medications among this population is often lacking. A recent review of the literature revealed that many of the studies that have assessed the efficacy of psychotropic medications for individuals with MR are methodologically flawed. Thus, we have detailed suggestions to improve the quality of future medication studies and avoid the methodological problems that prevent the scientific advancement of psychopharmacological research among individuals with MR.

Treating childhood psychopathology and developmental disabilities

History, Overview, and Trends in Child and Adolescent Psychological Assessment.- Diagnostic Classification Systems.- Interview and Report Writing.- Assessment of Specific Problems.- Intelligence Testing.- Rating Scale Systems for Assessing Psychopathology: The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) and the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 (BASC-2).- Neuropsychological Disorders of Children.- Assessment of Specific Pychopathologies.- Assessment of Conduct Problems.- Evidence-Based Assessment of Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).- Assessment of Mood Disorders in Children and Adolescents.- Assessment of Bipolar Disorder In Children.- Assessment of Problems Developmental Disabilities.- Academic Assessment.- Behavioral Assessment of Self-Injury.- Autism Spectrum Disorders and Comorbid Psychopathology.- Behavioral Medicine.- Assessment of Eating Disorder Symptoms In Children and Adolescents.- Pain Assessment.- Assessment of Pediatric Feeding Disorders.

Scaling Methods to Measure Psychopathology in Persons with Intellectual Disabilities.

Psychopathology prior to the last four decades was generally viewed as a set of problems and disorders that did not occur in persons with intellectual disabilities (ID). That notion now seems very antiquated. In no small part, a revolutionary development of scales worldwide has occurred for the assessment of emotional problems in persons with ID. The first standardized test to emerge was the Psychopathology Instrument for Mentally Retarded Adults (PIMRA) in 1984. Since that time, an impressive number of measures of general psychopathology have emerged for adults and children as well as for persons across the full range of levels of ID. The purpose of this review was to provide a description of available measures, to review papers published on these measures, and to discuss emerging trends in test development. The trends in this body of information for enhancing differential diagnosis of psychopathology in persons with ID are discussed.

The relationship of social skills as measured by the MESSIER to rumination in persons with profound mental retardation

Fifty-two persons with profound mental retardation; 26 people with rumination and 26 controls were studied. The Matson Evaluation of Social Skills for Individuals with sEvere Retardation (MESSIER) was administered to all subjects. Groups were compared across each of six subcategories; positive verbal, positive nonverbal, general positive, negative verbal, negative nonverbal, and general negative items. Controls scored significantly better on the general positive subscale than persons with rumination, although no differences in negative behaviors was noted across groups. Implications of these data are discussed.

Pica in persons with developmental disabilities: Approaches to treatment

Pica is a very serious problem in which an individual ingests substances without nutrition value, such as paper and paint. As this behavior is often life-threatening resulting in surgery, pica has received attention from researchers for several decades. During that time, a number of interventions have been devised, such as behavioral methods (e.g., aversive stimuli, overcorrection, time-out, reinforcement) and biological interventions (e.g., pharmacotherapy, nutritional supplements). This paper is a broad review of the research on treatment studies for this problem, with a focus on persons with autism and/or intellectual disability (ID), which constitutes almost all of the published treatment papers. In addition, strengths and weaknesses of different pica treatments are discussed. Upon review, applied behavior analysis (ABA) was found to have the most robust empirical support to treat this behavior. Most clinicians are drifting away from aversive techniques and relying on more positive procedures to guide their treatment plans. The implications of current status and future directions for research are also addressed.

Representation of international authorship across prominent journals in the field of mental retardation.

This article is a reflection of international publication trends across prominent journals in the field of mental retardation. Journals reviewed were the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, Mental Retardation, and Research in Developmental Disabilities. Percentage of authors from the United States (US) and other countries were evaluated. US authors represented 84-91% in US journals, while US representation in foreign journals was much lower at 21%. The implications of these findings are discussed.