Social Competence and Mental Handicap: An Introduction to Social Education.

Abstract

Dr. Gunzburg is consultant psychologist, Director of Psychological Services at the Hospitals for the Mentally Subnormal, Birmingham, England. He writes about the development of social competence among mentally subnormal children and young adults who are considered trainable rather than educable. Sometimes the discussion deals with mentally subnormal young people living with parents. At other times with those whose social behaviour was difficult enough to warrant admission to a hospital for the mentally subnormal. The book opens with a general introduction to the field of mental subnormality and then takes up a series of topics: the assessment of social knowledge; the development of social competence; a brief survey of mental subnormality services in Great Britain; and proposals for revising services with emphasis on a Social Education and Training Center and better services for helping the mentally subnormal make a transition from childhood to adulthood; and a discussion of the specific forms