Retarded Children Research Articles

Evaluation of a Classroom-Based, Language Training Program to Teach Mentally Retarded Children How to Give Personal Information

The present study evaluated the effects of a classroom-based, language training program in teaching two mentally retarded children how to give personal information. Using modeling, shaping, fading, and reinforcement procedures, the children were taught to state their name, address (street and town), and telephone number when questioned by an adult trainer. A multiple baseline design across target responses was utilized to demonstrate functional control of the training program. Following training, the children were able to give correct responses to adults who were not involved in training. The program appears to be practical for use by special education practitioners in developing information-giving skills.

MONTESSORITERAPINS PREVENTIVA ASPEKT

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size SUMMARY The child psychiatric ward at Aurora Hospital, Helsinki, has since 1977 experimentally used the Montessori method in therapy groups of 5–13 year old children. Those who have benefited most are children with neurological „soft signs”: insufficient visual, auditive or spatial perceptual ability, clumsiness, hyperactivity, emotionally impulsive or immature or speech retarded children. A surprise for the Montessori therapists was that even children with borderline type contact and reality disturbances were able to benefit—however, the treatment in these cases required more time.

Differential production of positive and negative discriminative stimuli by normal and retarded children

Using an observing procedure similar to Wyckoff's (1969), two normal and two mentally retarded children were studied. The children were initially trained to earn pennies by pressing a rectangular key according to a multiple variable-interval extinction schedule of reinforcement. After discrimination training, the children were allowed to produce the discriminative stimuli by depressing a second or observing key. The retarded children were different from the normal children in that they produced more of the positive discriminative stimulus (S+) than the negative discriminative stimulus (S−). In the case of the retarded children, S+ observing started high and remained high. In the case of the normal children, S+ observing was initially substantial and then rapidly diminished.

Stimulus overselectivity in learning disabled children.

Stimulus overselectivity, a phenomenon exhibited by autistic and institutionalized retarded individuals, was examined in mildly handicapped and nonhandicapped public school children. Subjects were 16 young, educable mentally retarded, 16 learning disabled, 15 nonhandicapped first- and second-graders, and 16 older, educable retarded students. The children were trained on a 3-component visual discrimination task and then tested on individual elements to determine which element or elements were controlling subject responses. Nine of the young educable mentally retarded children and eight of the learning disabled students showed some overselectivity. The majority of overselective retarded children were controlled by only one of the three components of the training cue, whereas the majority of the overselective learning disabled children responded to the discrimination task on the basis of two of the three components. No overselectivity was exhibited by the nonhandicapped students. All three cue components were also functional in controlling the responding of 14 of the 16 older retarded students, but two children were under the control of only one cue. The research indicated that in terms of overselectivity, learning disabled children respond more like young, mildly retarded children than they do like nonhandicapped ones. The demonstration of stimulus overselectivity in a sizable portion of a learning disabled sample may have implications for a more empirically based approach to this handicapped population.

Precursors of symbol formation and childhood autism

The salience of various precursory requirements for the formation of symbols is discussed. The conclusion is drawn that several necessary precursors could be assumed, and two experiments are described that were designed to test for the presence of these precursors in autistic children compared to matched retarded children. First, there was a study of the children's ability to imitate and form internal images, and then there was a study of their development of a concept of object permanence and ability to anticipate. These studies led to the conclusion that the autistic children could form internal images but seemed to lack the ability to manipulate them in a purposeful and meaningful manner, as reflected in their inability to show symbolic imitations and their lack of tendency to use elements of their perceptions that might allow prediction of future events. The findings are discussed in terms of cognitive and social development.

Stability of the WISC-R for a sample of exceptional children.

Compared the subtest and IQ scores obtained by a sample of 75 learning disabled and retarded children and youth (50 boys, 25 girls) on the WISC-R after a 2-year time interval. Stability coefficients (test-retest) were obtained for the sample. The evidence obtained from the present study indicated that the WISC-R provides stable full-scale IQs.

Self-Recognition in Retarded Children

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between cognitive and affective development. Young preverbal retarded children watched TV images of themselves with faces marked or unmarked and of a peer whose face was marked. We used the objective technique of increased mark-directed responses as evidence of self-recognition and rated the children's reactions as they watched these images. The emergence of self-recognition was closely tied to the maturity of the children's general responsiveness to their reflections. The Down's syndrome children made a broad range of responses, including the curiosity and self-conscious behaviors characteristic of normal children during the second year of life, and all except one of these children showed evidence that they recognized their images. In contrast, the range of behaviors displayed by multihandicapped children was greatly restricted and similar to children in the first year of life. Less than half of these children showed an emergence of self-recognition.

Evaluation of a regional resource center for multiply-handicapped retarded children.

Evaluation of a regional resource center for multiply-handicapped retarded children.

Information-processing strategies and short-term memory in normal and retarded children

Information-processing strategies and short-term memory in normal and retarded children

Difficultés dans la communication mère-enfant et troubles du langage chez les enfants avec un retard mental.

Basing on a critical examination of the relations between cognitive difficulties and language disorders in mentally retarded children, and on a justification of the theoretical criterions to apply when comparing normal and retarded children, the authors study the linguistic interaction between 8 mothers and their mentally retarded children. The children are divided in two subgroups, matched for mental age and gravity of the mental retardation. The linguistic level of the 4 children of the first group is compatible with their cognitive level, the linguistic level of the 4 children of the second group is much lower compared to their cognitive level. The results are discussed concentrating the attention on three points : 1 . the research consequences resulting from the heterogeneity between mentally retarded children ; 2. the possible signification of the differences found between the two groups of mothers ; 3. the problems in mother-child-interaction and language acquisition in mentally retarded children.

Generalization of naming responses to objects in the natural environment as a function of training stimulus modality with retarded children.

Picture-cards, photographs, and real objects were compared as training stimuli in order to determine which best facilitated the generalization of naming responses learned in a special training room to real objects in the natural environments of four retarded children. The amount of transfer of naming behavior between the three stimulus modes and the average amount of training time required per stimulus mode were also assessed. Three of the four children displayed considerably more generalization to the real objects in the natural environment when they were trained with real objects. The fourth child displayed substantial generalization regardless of the training stimulus mode. No particular training stimulus mode clearly facilitated the transfer of naming responses to other modes or greatly reduced training time. The results of two supplementary procedures conducted with one child showed that: (1) training in several environments facilitated generalization to real objects in the natural environment when real objects were used as training stimuli but not when picture-cards were used, and (2) transfer from picture-cards to real objects was facilitated by training other picture-cards and the real objects portrayed by them at the same time.

Classification of abnormal children: discrimination learning ability.

Large individual differences exist among psychotic and retarded children, and a procedure that would enable classification of discrimination learning ability would be of value. A procedure designed to assess the discrimination learning thresholds of low-functioning children is described. A performance index (PI) that reflects accuracy of discriminative responding, difficulty of the discriminations attained, and learning rate was found to correlate significantly with mental age, intelligence quotient, Vineland Social Age, Vineland Social Quotient, and language functioning, but not with chronological age. The question of the optimal magnitude of correlation between a new measure and existing measures is discussed.

The concept of death in preoperational retarded children.

Fourteen preoperational retarded boys and girls (mean MA = 6-4), as classified by the failure to pass three conservation tasks, were interviewed for their concepts of death, with Koocher's (1973) study used as a model. Each S was asked, "What makes things die?" "How can you make dead things come back to life?" "When will you die?" and "What will happen then?" It was found that the preoperational retarded Ss did not have realistic concepts of when they will die, or of the permanence of death. They did, however, have realistic notions of how things die. It was also found that the types of replies made to these questions were related to their cognitive level (p less than .01).

Self-Control and Generalization Procedures in a Classroom of Disruptive Retarded Children

Behavioral procedures aimed at decreasing disruptiveness through increasing self-evaluative skills and programming generalization in a class of disruptive retarded children were examined. Phases of the study included: (a) baseline; (b) systematic feedback; (c) a token economy; (d) matching of teacher's ratings by students; (e) four fading phases during which progressively fewer students were required to match the teacher; (f) self-evaluation during which each student received the amount of points self-allotted regardless of teacher's ratings; (g) doubling of point costs of back-up reinforcers (Inflation); (h) complete removal of back-up reinforcers (Points Only); and (i) return to baseline conditions. The class was observed 5 days per week dueing a morning experimental period and several times per week in the afternoon as a measure of generalization. Additional measures of generalization included days when the token program was not in effect (Off Days) and when the class was taught by a substitute t...

The effects of an environmental "enrichment" program on the behavior of institutionalized profoundly retarded children.

This study determined the effects of procedures designed to "enrich" the physical and social environment of an institutional ward on the "adaptive" and "maladaptive" child, adult, self, and object-directed behaviors of five profoundly retarded ambulatory females. Behavior observed in two treatment conditions, an environment "enriched" with toys and objects and an "enriched" environment coupled with differential reinforcement of adaptive behavior, was compared to behavior occurring in corresponding baseline or "austere" conditions and during a period of noncontingent reinforcement. The results generally revealed: (1) little change in adaptive and maladaptive child and adult-directed behavior across conditions, (2) an overall higher incidence of adaptive object-directed behavior and reduced self-directed maladaptive behavior in each treatment condition from that observed in corresponding control conditions, and (3) the use of an "enriched" environment and differential reinforcement of adaptive behavior resulted in maladaptive self-directed behavior being reduced and adaptive object-directed behavior being icreased beyond that observed in the "enriched" environment alone. These behavioral gains were largely maintained during a follow-up condition by continuing the "enriched" environment and transferring the responsibility for differential reinforcement to direct-care staff.

Coincidence anticipation of young normal and handicapped children.

Two coincident-timing experiments examined the role of three different target velocities and display extents and three age levels of normal and retarded children. Subjects made a ballistic response to a target moving horizontally across their visual field. In the first experiment there were generally no clear differences between normal and retarded children on the task, with subjects having difficulty for both the slow and fast target speeds. In the second experiment, with target velocity held constant, no significant differences were reported between normal and handicapped children, although the longer the subjects were allowed to view the target the more accurate they were. The data were discussed in terms of the response strategies to perform anticipatory ballistic movements. An ecological issue was raised which suggested that children as well as adults make their most accurate anticipations when confronted with velocity problems that have been experienced in their everyday world.

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:Cushla and Her Books Dorothy Butler Hodder and Stoughton.Yes, They Can! Kenneth J. Weber.Toys and Playthings in Development and Remediation John and Elizabeth Newson George Allen & Unwin.Helping in Social Work Bill Jordan Routledge & Kegan Paul.Working with Words: Literacy Beyond School Jane Mace.The Mentally Retarded Child M. L. Hunt, R.G. Gibby Allyn & Bacon.Teaching Your Down's Syndrome Infant M. J. Hanson.Practical Training for the Severely Handicapped Child M. Morgenstern, H. Low‐Beer, F. Morgenstern.

Test-retest reliability of the test for auditory comprehension of language when it is used with mentally retarded children.

The Carrow (1973) Test for Auditory Comprehension of Language (TACL) is used frequently as part of a test battery to assess the language skills of mentally retarded children. This study determined its reliability with this population using a test-retest paradigm. Forty-four retarded children were given the test and then retested after a five-week interval. A reliability coefficient of 0.91 was obtained between pre-test and posttest administrations of the TACL. Internal stability was highest for total scores, the subtests measuring form class and function words, and grammatical categories. The low coefficients obtained for the subtests of morphological construction and syntactic suggest that these should be viewed with considerable caution when considered separately from the total test results.

The drooling patient: Evaluation and current surgical options

Drooling is a common stigmatizing problem necessitating increased care in the neurologically damaged child or adult. Appropriate physiotherapy frequently reduces drooling but rarely eliminates it. The goal of surgical therapy is to minimize drooling while specifically avoiding the complication of xerostomia. During the past 4 years, 37 of 46 patients assessed have undergone surgery specifically intended to reduce drooling. Good results have been obtained with bilateral transtympanic neurectomy procedures; it is the surgical procedure of choice in the more retarded patient. Encouraging results have been obtained in six patients with bilateral submandibular duct relocation; because of increased operative morbidity, it is the procedure of choice in the less retarded child.

Escape as a factor in the aggressive behavior of two retarded children.

This study sought to identify some of the variables controlling the severely aggressive behavior of two retarded children. In Experiment 1, each child was presented with several demand and nondemand situations. Aggression was frequent in the demand situations and rare in the nondemand situations. When a stimulus correlated with the termination of demands was introduced, aggression fell to a near zero level. In Experiment 2, for one child, a variety of preferred reinforcers was introduced into the demand situation contingent on correct responding. Aggression abruptly decreased to a low level. Experiments 3 and 4 involved the second child. In Experiment 3, this child was permitted, in one condition, to leave the demand situation if he emitted a nonaggressive response. Aggression decreased to a low level. In Experiment 4, he was prevented, in one condition, from leaving the demand situation in spite of high levels of aggression. Aggression fell to a near zero level. In Experiments 3 and 4, he was permitted, in several conditions, to leave the demand situation following aggressive behavior. Aggression increased to a high level. The results suggested that: (1) aggression can sometimes function as an escape response; and (2) escape-motivated aggression can be controlled by: (a) introducing strongly preferred reinforcers to attenuate the aversiveness of the demand situation; (b) strengthening an alternative, nonaggressive escape response; or (c) using an escape-extinction procedure.