AAMR F.Y.I.
September 2003, Vol.3, No.9

Visit www.aamr.org/FYI/ to access current and past issues of this monthly newsletter.

Dear AAMR Friends and Colleagues:

IN THIS ISSUE:

COMING SOON! THE FIRST PRACTICAL AND SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT TOOL TO PLAN MEANINGFUL SUPPORTS FOR PERSONS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
The American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) is getting ready to publish a unique, new assessment tool specifically designed to measure the level of practical supports required by an adult with an intellectual disability. Called the Supports Intensity Scale (SIS), this instrument provides an objective measure of supports required in 57 life activities, and medical and behavioral conditions commonly associated with persons with intellectual disabilities. The SIS is unique because it fills a niche not covered by adaptive behavior tests. While adaptive measures identify the skills an individual has to do a task, SIS tells you what practical supports are required to perform the task. If you’d like to find out more about this first, consumer-oriented planning tool, including availability and pricing, send an email to books@aamr.org

COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES WORK, BUT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE, SAYS LATEST OLMSTEAD PROGRESS REPORT
The National Council on Disability (NCD) released its latest report on the progress made to date in the implementation of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision of Olmstead v. L.C. in 1999. While progress has occurred in the implementation of the Olmstead decision, the report points out that further efforts are necessary to increase public awareness of Olmstead. The report outlines various state responses to Olmstead, including an in-depth analysis of the Olmstead implementation in 10 U.S. states.

Read Olmstead: Reclaiming Institutionalized Lives at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/reclaimlives.html

TOXICANTS AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IN THE NEWS: RESULTS FROM TWO STUDIES
Two recent studies put the spotlight on the growing concern about the influence of toxicants on the incidence of developmental disabilities. Mothers exposed to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) found in many household and food items are passing the suspected neurotoxicants on to their unborn infants, says a study led by Anita Mazdai of the Indiana School of Medicine. Not only did infants have the same toxic concentrations of the organic pollutants as their mothers, but also those concentrations were 20-106 times the levels found in mothers and infants in Sweden, where concern over the chemicals has led to their ban. As reported in the July 03 issue of AAMR F.Y.I. (http://www.aamr.org/FYI/fyi_vol_3_no_7.shtml#toxic), exposure to PBDEs may be particularly harmful during a critical window of brain development during pregnancy and early childhood. Read more on the Mazdai study at http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2003/111-9/ss.html

In another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, it was found that lead may be harmful even at very low blood concentrations. The five-year study found that children who have blood lead concentration lower than 10 micrograms per deciliter, a threshold currently used by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), suffer intellectual impairment from exposure. Read more on this study from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/news/leadiq.htm

Click here for an abstract on this study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

To read more about a recent summit held by AAMR on how environmental pollutants and toxins affect mental retardation, visit http://www.aamr.org/Reading_Room/pdf/Wingspread.pdf

STUDY CONFIRMS MANY BENEFITS OF COMMUNITY LIVING FOR PERSONS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
A study of 254 persons with developmental disabilities moved out of a state institution in Oklahoma into supported living settings confirms the belief that community living greatly enhances the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities. The study revealed that the deinstitutionalized population showed significant improvements in many areas of life, including adaptive and challenging behaviors; participation in employment; number of hours of developmentally-oriented services; opportunities for integration; frequency of contact with relatives; and use of antipyschotic medications.

Findings from the study were published in the August 2003 issue of Mental Retardation. To read an abstract or access full-text of the article titled "The Hissom Closure Outcomes Study: A Report on Six Years of Movement to Supported Living," visit http://aamr.allenpress.com/aamronline/?request=get-toc&issn=0047-6765&volume=41&issue=4

TWO NEW ONLINE RESOURCES ON MEDICAID
The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) has launched a new website that gives basic to advanced information on Medicaid at http://www.aucd.org/aucd_medicaid.htm and the Arc of the United States has developed a website that provides a 2-page fact sheet on Medicaid programs offered by each of 50 U.S. states and D.C. at http://www.thearc.org/medicaid/

Medicaid serves more than 7 million people with disabilities in the United States and is the primary public source of funding for health and long-term services and supports for people with disabilities of all ages.

RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF DIRECT SUPPORT STAFF AND THEIR EFFECT ON CONSUMERS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES: MAJOR FINDINGS FROM A SURVEY
Here’s a new report on a much-debated issue—the challenges facing the direct support workforce in America and how this affects the lives of people with developmental disabilities. In an article published in the journal Mental Retardation, the study investigators talk about how they sought qualitative data through focus groups of direct support professionals, program administrators, and consumers. The study found that (a) high direct support staff turnover and vacancy rates have negative consequences for many people who receive supports; (b) direct support staff provide a vast array of services and have numerous job titles and job descriptions; (c) direct support staff are inadequately compensated and often have to work more than one job; and (d) turnover rate and recruitment is a serious problem. The article also discusses the need to develop the role of the direct support staff into a valued profession and provides recommendations for research and practice.

Visit http://aamr.allenpress.com/aamronline/?request=get-toc&issn=0047-6765&volume=41&issue=4 to access an abstract and full-text of the article titled "Statewide Study of Direct Support Workforce" published in the August 2003 issue of Mental Retardation.

To access results from another survey on wages of direct support professionals working with people with intellectual disabilities, visit http://ici.umn.edu/products/prb/142/default.html

To learn more on how to train direct support professionals on practical positive behavior support skills, read more on the new AAMR Positive Behavior Support Training Curriculum at http://www.aamr.org/Reading_Room/pdf/pbst_training_curriculum.pdf

AAMR CALLS FOR PAPERS FOR 2004 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The 2004 AAMR Annual Meeting titled "Realizing the Vision of Community Health Supports" will be held in Philadelphia from June 1-4 and the association is calling for papers by September 30, 2003.
To find out more, visit http://www.aamr.org/Events/2004_Call_For_Papers/AAMR_CALL_FOR_PAPERS_2004.pdf

AAMR F.Y.I. is compiled by Anna Prabhala, Editor. Please submit comments, suggestions, tips, and news to annap@aamr.org


Access past issues of AAMR F.Y.I. at www.aamr.org/FYI/

© Copyright 2003 American Association on Mental Retardation

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