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The effects of d-amphetamine on temporal discrimination in the rat were studied. Rats were trained on a two-manipulandum task involving the discrimination between two tones differing only in duration. d-Amphetamine (0.1 - 1.6 mg/kg) disrupted performance on this task, although not in an obvious dose-related manner. Lever biases were enhanced by the drug, but inconsistenly among rats. Enhanced lever bias did not necessarily correlate with deterioration of performance. The drug lengthened both response latency and the performance of terminal components of the operant chain. However the characteristic pattern of response latencies produced by the two tones was not altered significantly by the drug. The results are discussed in terms of whether the drug disrupts discrimination performance by a direct effect on processes of temporal discrimination or indirectly, by its other effects on behavior.

Summary There is a high correlation between behaviour problems, and lack of receptive and expressive language communication. Multiply handicapped children, with varying degrees of physical, mental, emotional, and sensory handicaps, in addition to a communication deficit, can learn a sign language system. Progress in communication through the sign language also results in substantial emotional and behavioural improvements. This paper presents two case studies of such children, and describes in detail the 7 year programme used to develop language through the Paget—Gorman sign system, with a profoundly deaf, subnormal, athetoid, disturbed boy.

Summary Seven subnormal spastic children aged 15–16 years, who had the additional problem of profuse dribbling, were trained to associate an auditory cue, from a small box pinned to their clothes, with swallowing. A significant reduction in dribble rate was obtained for all children within the first week. This method of dribble control has two advantages: it requires very little professional time, and the child's ability to control his dribbling is emphasized from the beginning.

Avoidance or elimination of the major offending food items or indoor problematic allergens can help many patients with allergy-related otologic problems. Other patients can be helped by immunotherapy. For symptom relief, the patients' total exposure must be less than their symptom threshold level. The bottom line must be an effort to find the easiest, simplest, safest, and most economical method to relieve symptoms. By eliminating the cause of the medical problem, it is often possible to obviate not only the need for surgery, but also the necessity to mask the patients' symptoms with medications.