For over a decade, University of Florida researchers worked with middle schools in a large urban and suburban south Florida district, as they developed and then worked to sustain inclusive reform. One middle school, Socrates, was notably successful, having built its inclusion model on a foundation of previous reform and a school culture characterized by shared decision making, collaboration, and teaming. For 4 years, we studied Socrates and the sustainability of its program. Inclusion was not sustained; our analysis of teacher and administrator interviews revealed three primary factors that help explain why: leadership change, teacher turnover, and state and district assessment policy change. Reduced support for the program, a by-product of the primary factors, also contributed to the lack of sustainability.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) impair working memory (WM). It is unclear, however, whether the deficits seen early in the course of these diseases are similar. To address this issue, the authors compared the performance of 22 patients with mild AD, 20 patients with early PD and without dementia, and 112 control participants on tests of inhibition, short-term memory, and 2 commonly administered tests of WM. The results suggest that although mild AD and early PD both impair WM, the deficits may be related to the interruption of different processes that contribute to WM performance. Early PD disrupted inhibitory processes, whereas mild AD did not. The WM deficits seen in patients with AD may be secondary to deficits in other cognitive capacities, including semantic memory.

Research indicates that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with high rates of comorbid psychiatric diagnoses. Yet, it remains unknown whether PTSD is associated with greater comorbidity relative to patients with other anxiety disorders. This study examined prevalence of comorbid anxiety disorders with PTSD relative to other disorders among a treatment-seeking population. Patients with PTSD (n = 83) evidenced greater overall comorbidity as compared to patients with other anxiety (n = 151) or Axis I (n = 73) disorders. Compared to patients with panic disorder, patients with PTSD were more likely to be diagnosed with depression and social phobia, but not other anxiety disorders. Extent of anxiety disorder comorbidity was not related to PTSD severity. These findings are discussed in terms of their relevance for treatment of PTSD.

This study examined the construct validity of the Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (CTONI) in two separate investigations. The first study examined criterionrelated evidence of validity across racial/ethnic groups on the CTONI and the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Tests of Achievement (3rd edition). The second study examined the comparability of the standard and computerized forms of the CTONI. Results of the first study revealed that the CTONI overall score did not correlate significantly with reading achievement and correlated moderately with math achievement. The CTONI also showed significant racial/ethnic group differences, despite the absence of these differences on achievement. Results of the second study revealed that average scores on the standard form of the CTONI were significantly higher statistically than those on the computerized form. Correlations between raw scores on the computerized form of the CTONI and age were statistically significant, although generally low. In sum, results of this research raise concerns and questions about the validity of the CTONI. The CTONI should be used with caution, if at all, until further research is conducted.