The series of studies provides evidence to support the four subscales of the Adult Sensory Profile as distinct constructs of sensory processing preferences.

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This section includes shorter papers (e.g., 10-15 double-spaced manuscript pages or less) describing methods and techniques that can improve evaluation practice. Method notes may include reports of new evaluation tools, products, and/or services that are useful for practicing evaluators. Alternatively, they may describe new uses of existing tools. Also appropriate for this section are user-friendly guidelines for the proper use of conventional tools and methods, particularly for those that are commonly misused in practice.Abstract: Collaboration is a prerequisite for the sustainability of interagency programs, particularly those programs initially created with the support of time-limited grant-funding sources. From the perspective of evaluators, however, assessing collaboration among grant partners is often difficult. It is also challenging to present collaboration data to stakeholders in a way that is meaningful. In this article, the authors introduce the Levels of Collaboration Scale, which was developed from existing models and instruments. The authors extend prior work on measuring collaboration by exploring the reliability of the scale and developing a format for visually displaying the results obtained from using the scale.

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With the recent reauthorizations of Public Law 94-142, there has been a greater push to identify and treat children with autism. As a result, autism is currently diagnosed and treated at younger ages, and nonmedical professionals who work with young children increasingly face the task of informing parents that their child has autism. To examine professionals' and parents' perceptions of giving and receiving a diagnosis of autism, 11 nonmedical professionals and 17 parents of children with autism participated in a series of interviews that were transcribed, unitized, and categorized using Lincoln and Guba's (1985) method of naturalistic inquiry. Based on the interview data, nine recommendations for practice were developed. The recommendations provide guidelines that nonmedical professionals can consult when faced with the task of sharing a diagnosis of autism.