In most of the studies concerned with the reaction time (RT) in the mentally retarded children, it was not seriously considered whether the meaning of the warning siganl (WS) could be effectively understood by subjects through experimenter's instruction. One of features in the mentally retarded children appears in the retardation or instability in the verbal regulation of behavior (Luria 1961). If a child does not acquire the role of WS as a regulator of its behavior, the main problem for the child in the RT situation with WS might only become the selective motor response to the reaction signal (RS) differentiating from WS. In order to investigate the formation of the preparatory set in the mentally retarded children, the present study examined the effectiveness of preliminary instructions about the role of WS as well as the level of selectivity of the motor response to RS differentiating from WS. Subjects were 55 normal children (CA: 4-9 years old) and 20 mentally retarded children (CA: 8-15 years old, IQ: 40-80). A white noise (1 sec, 65dB) was presented as WS, and a tone-pip (50ms, 1000Hz, 75dB) was used as RS. The experiment was composed of three conditions (Fig. 1). (1) "non WS" condition: RS stimuli were presented to a subject at an irregular interval of 7-10 sec. A subject was previously instructed to press the button to RS as quick as possible. (2) "WSa" condition: A white noise stimulus was presented 2-5 sec before RS. A subject was instructed, "Press the button to a tone-pip but don't press it to a noisy sound." (3) "WSb" condition: Both stimuli were presented in the same sequence as in "WSa" condition. However, the instruction was, "In a short time after the noisy sound, a tone-pip comes. Then, you must press the button as quick as possible." Results were as follows: (1) There were those subjects in both groups who showed longer RT in "WSa" condition than that in "non WS" condition, and such normal subjects were of younger ages (Fig. 3). (2) In those subjects, RT in "WSb" condition was longer than that of "nonWS" condition or remained almost unchanged. Such a tendency of RT elongation in "WSb" condition was not observed in other subjects whose RT was shortened or changed little in "WSa" condition (Fig. 4, 5). From these results, it was pointed out that in some younger normal children and some mentally retarded children the preliminary instruction of WS was not effective and WS had only a meaning as a negative signal to be discriminated in the selective motor response situation. Before a child can form the preparatory set through the preliminary instruction, at least two conditions might have to be prepared. Namely one is the selective motor response to RS and the other is the understanding of the instruction about WS. Some mentally retarded children might stay at the stage in which these necessary conditions are not satisfactorily established yet.

View full abstract

The present study attempted to describe the factorial structure of the development in severely or profoundly retarded individuals. Subjects were 50 severely or profoundly retarded individuals. They were divided into two groups: the younger group (CA= 10:6-17:10) and the older group (CA= 18:0-26:11). Data on two developmental tests (Tsumori's Developmental Test and Enjoji's Developmental Test) of 50 subjects were analyzed. A total of 11 variables which were analyzed in this study consisted of 5 subdomains in Tsumori's Developmental Test and 6 subdomains in Enjoji's Developmental Test. We calculated developmental ages of each subdomain. And then the productmoment correlation coefficients among 11 subdomains were calculated. On this correlation matrix, factor analysis was performed by use of the principal factor method. The first three factors were then rotated orthogonally to a varimax solution. These three factors accounted for over 80 percent of the total variance. Three psychologically significant factors were extracted after varimax rotation. Factor I related to "the self-care activities". Subdomains with the highest loadings on this factor were motor function, locomotion, habit of living skills and fundamental habit. Factor II was defined by the cluster of subdomains that were "the verbal behaviors". These included verbal reception and verbal expression. Factor III was defined by subdomains reflective of "the contact with person and object." Subdomains having the highest loadings on this factor included social behavior, search for objects and human relations. Furthermore, factor scores were estimated for each individual in order to determine whether there were developmental changes or not. As a result, it was cleared that the older group was higher than, the younger group in the developmental level of "the self-care activities". On the other hand, it was suggested that the younger group was a little higher than the older group in the developmental level of "the verbal behaviors" and "the contact with person and object". The above-mentioned results indicated that the applicaton of factor analysis to data on the development of severely or profoundly retarded individuals was useful.

View full abstract

In November of 1975, Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Acr (P. L. 94-142). The Act represents the most important legislation for the handicapped ever passed. With its passage, the United States committed itself to a nationalpurpose of assuring that a "free appropriate public education" would be available to all handicapped children. Thus, it requires that specialists are called upon evaluate the children's special needs and determine the most appropriate educational environment for them; that an individualized education program (IEP) is developed for each child identified as needing special education or related services; that the school districts notify parents of findings concerning their children and include parents in the process of making decisions regarding how and in what circumstances their children will be educated; and that an opportunity for a hearing is provided to a parent. The charactristics of the IEP in special education are as follows; 1) The IEP is the most important provision of P. L. 94-142, because the IEP includes of all essential elements for a free appropriate public education for all handicapped children in a least restrictive environment. 2) The IEP becomes more specific as its development moves toward actual Individualized Implementation Plan (IIP). 3) Each teacher should make more efforts to develop positive relationships with these parents by active and continued involvement of the parent in preparation of the IEP and in evaluation and monitoring of the child's progress. 4) It is important to reduce the amount of time required for IEP development, therefore it demands further improvement of teacher's paper work on IEP. 5) It is more likely that theschool district or the teacher will be held liable for a "educational malpractice" in teaching hadicapped child. We strongly expect to accomplish reaching goal of P. L. 94-142 by educating each handicapped child in accordance with Individualized Education Program.

View full abstract

Es ist eine der bedeutsamen Aufgaben in der Forschung der Geschichte der Erziehung fur Behinderte in Deutschlund, zu erklaren, welche Rolle die Bewegung der Hilfsschullenrer gesellschaftlich und geschichtlich spielte, insbesondere die Bewegung der Festsetzung vom "Hilfsschulgesetz" in der Zeit der Weimarer Republik. Diese Bewegung hat den Hintergrund, daβ wegen Unvollkommenheit der gesetzlichen Grundlage manche "hilfsschulbedurftige" Kinder die Hilfsschulen nicht besuchten und deshalb die ihnen entsprechende heilpadagogische Erziehung nicht sichergestellt wurde. Deshalb erforderten die Hilfsschullehrer in dieser Zeit das Hilfsschulgesetz, um solche Probleme zu losen. Die Entwurfe, die dann von den Hilfsschullehrern eingebracht wurden, wurden mit dem Gedanke begrundet, daβ auch die behinderten Kinder das Recht auf Bildung haben, und gingen dem letzten Bildungsreform fur Behinderte in BRD voran. Die Bewegung wurde aber underseits vom Stundpunkt der "Reinigung der Volksschule" aus erhoben. Daraus ergab sich, da(β die Bewegung die Tendenzen der Verstarkung des Leistungsprinzips, des Prinzips der Auswahl nach der Leistung von Kindern, positiv annahm. Folglich wurde die Aufnahme der nicht schwachsinnigen, sondern leistungsschwachen Kinder in die Hilfsschule nach und nach justifiziert,und wurde eine der Ursache fur die heutige Problematik ergeben.

View full abstract

In this paper, it is hypothesized that main variable for reduction of stereotypies of the nonambulatory profoundly retarded in the institution, is systematic and continuous teaching that is corresponded to developmental stage of the case, and promotes manipulatory ability of sensorimotor. The case exhibited high-frequent and and self-stimulatory stereotypies, and few "hand regard". Giving her 2 year's teaching for basic visual behavior contained in "hand regard", she has formed reachinggrasping behavior but insufficient, and at the same time her stereotypies has reduced. When discussed this process, it is proved that manual manipulation for reaching-grasping is parallel with her manual acts for stereotypies, and her early behavior for visual and manual behavior reduces her steretypies. So that, her stereotypies may become foundation for higher behavior, by systematic and continuous teaching corresponded to her developmental stage. But precendents insist that stereotypies are singular and undevelopmental behavior.

View full abstract