Abstract
Efforts to promote communication in persons with multiple disabilities have largely focused on enabling them to make requests to their immediate caregivers and to exchange text messages or phone calls with distant partners. These two single-case studies extended the research in the latter area. Specifically, Study I targeted text messaging for a woman with visual and motor impairment and mild intellectual disability, teaching her to write her messages via microswitch, virtual keyboard, and word predictor. Study II targeted the use of phone calls for a post-coma adult male with motor impairment and mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, using a technology system that provided him with wide assistance through the process. The results of both studies were quite encouraging, showing an appropriate use of text messaging, including the writing of messages (Study I), and a successful performance of phone calls (Study II). The results were discussed in terms of their general relevance and implications for care and rehabilitation contexts.

Abstract
Background: This article discusses the new diagnostic results and the basic directions of professional deformation prevention and correction in secondary school teachers. Method: The author’s theoretical and methodological analysis, has made it possible to assume that professional deformation is an integrated complex of numerous characteristics, namely: the type of profession, the level of emotional burnout severity, indicators of satisfaction with the profession, particular orientation and socio-psychological type of personality, as well as the manifestations of personality traits. Results: The results of the empirical study using qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis of manifestation of latent and frustrational levels of professional deformation, which were based on the analysis of expressions of active and passive types of professional conduct, have shown that the identified characteristics have a significant influence on the manifestation of professional deformation and correspond to the intended level of the teachers’ deformations. Conclusions: Based on the empirical data for determining the level of symptoms and conditions of professional deformation, this article presents relevant programs aimed at the conservation and maintenance of psychological health, at prevention and correction of latent and frustrational level manifestations of professional deformation in education.

Abstract
Theory of Mind (ToM) studies on deafness are focused on childhood. Few studies have analyzed ToM on deaf adults. The present research compared three groups of deaf adults (native signers, late signers, oral deaf) to a hearing-paired group in two ToM tasks and analyzed the role of verbal ability and interpersonal experiences from early years to predict ToM performances. Participants were 15 native signers, 15 late signers, 17 oral deaf and 15 hearing (M = 22 years-1 month; SD = 1 month) who were administered the verbal scale of Wechsler Intelligence Scale  Revised (WAIS-R), Look Prediction, and Strange Stories. The ANOVA showed differences among the four groups in both ToM tasks with late signers showing the worst performances compared to the other groups. HRAs emphasized the role of verbal ability and interpersonal experiences from early years to predict advanced ToM ability in adulthood.

Abstract
We compared two behavioral strategies (i.e., self-monitoring [SM] and differential reinforcement of an alternative behavior [DRA]) to promote on-task behavior by three children with cerebral palsy and developmental disabilities during classroom activities. The first objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness and the suitability of each strategy individually within a school setting, and make their systematic comparison. A second aim of the study was to assess the effects of the intervention on participants’ mood as an outcome measure concerning the quality of life. The third objective was to assess the preference checks for each participant. Finally, a social validation procedure, involving 24 teachers as raters, was conducted for corroborating the clinical validity and providing the study with a formal endorsement by sensitive and expert professionals. The study was carried out according to an alternating treatment embedded in a non-concurrent multiple baseline reversal design across participants. Furthermore, a maintenance phase, three months after the end of the intervention, was realized. Results showed that both interventions were successful, increasing on-task behavior for all participants involved, as well as improving their mood. All participants preferred self-monitoring during preference checks. Raters involved in the social validation assessment considered SM as more positive than DRA. Clinical, educational, psychological and rehabilitative implications of the findings were discussed.

Abstract
The Autism Mental Status Exam (AMSE) is an eight-item observational assessment that allows clinicians to observe and document social and communication functioning and behavioral features in children during a clinical evaluation. Previous findings indicated a high classification accuracy of the AMSE, when compared to ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), administered to a high-risk population suspected to have an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The present study reports the data obtained through the administration of AMSE to a sample of 98 Italian patients (11 females and 87 males) with a diagnosis of ASD formulated according to the diagnostic criteria of the DSM 5. All subjects were administered AMSE, ADOS and ADI-R. Results show an acceptable internal consistency of the instrument (alpha = .63) and statistically significant correlations between AMSE total score and the ADOS scores. Preliminary findings suggest that the AMSE might provide a rapid and reliable observational assessment in a population with a suspect of ASD.