Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the developmental process of a woman with profound mental and physical disabilities, from her birth to when she was 32 years of age. The results were as follows: Her developmental quotient (D.Q.) decreased from 16.00 when she was 3.5 months of age to 1.10 at 28 years of age, but increased again to 1.58 at 32 years of age. In contrast, her developmental age (D.A.) improved from 0.5 months at 3.5 months of age to 5.9 months at 32 years of age. Of paticular interest is that between when she was 28 and when she was 32 years old, the developmental age of her exploratory activity, response, and movement increased from 3.9 months to 6.0 months. Although the woman has profound mental and physical disabilities, she has, nevertheless, reached the age of 32 years with an unexpected degree of development. As a result, it is very difficult to conclude why other people with similar disabilities do not develop mentally and physically in this way.
