This thesis compares criminal defences of insanity and idiocy between 1660 and 1830 in northern England and southern Scotland, regions which have been neglected by the historiographies of British crime and "insanity defences". It is explained how and why English and Scottish theoretical principles differed or converged. In practice, however, courtroom participants could obtain to alternative conceptions of accountability and mental distraction. Quantitative and qualitative analyses are employed to reveal contemporary conceptions of mental afflictions and criminal responsibility, which provide inverse reflections of "normal" behaviour, speech and appearance. It is argued that the judiciary did not dictate the evaluation of prisoners' mental capacities at the circuit courts, as some historians have contended. Legal processes were determined by subtle, yet complex, interactions between "decision-makers". Jurors could reach conclusions independent from judicial coercion. Before 1830, verdicts of insanity could represent discord between bench and jury, rather than the concord emphasised by some scholars. The activities of counsel, testifiers and prisoners also impinged upon the assessment of a prisoner's mental condition and restricted the bench's dominance. Despite important evidentiary evolutions, the courtroom authentication of insanity and idiocy was not dominated by Britain's evolving medical professions (including "psychiatrists") before 1830. Lay, communal understandings of mental afflictions and criminal responsibility continued to inform and underpin the assessment of a prisoner's mental condition. Such decisions were affected by social dynamics, such as the social and economic status, gender, age and legal experience of key courtroom participants. Verdicts of insanity and the development of Britain's legal practices could both be shaped by micro- and macro-political considerations. This thesis opens new avenues of research for British "insanity defences", whilst offering comparisons to contemporary Continental legal procedures.

My work deal s with the difficulties of educating mentally disabled children. We familiarize with various definitions and concepts such as mental disability (mental retardation), Down syndrom, alternative schooling, elemantary school, special and practical school and finally home schooling. This work analyzes and locates the ideal form of educating less severely mentally disabled children.

The thesis focuses on dynamic evaluation of younger pupils with mild mental retardation by application of a Visual Perception Test, which evaluates certain areas of sight perception. It is an alternative diagnostic method focused on rational intervention, which applies diagnostically obtained findings and results in search for adequate assistance and support of the particular pupil. In the theoretical section, the text focuses on pupils with mild mental retardation, their specific features and education. It introduces basic findings on dynamic diagnostics and dynamic approach and its application in support of pupils with reduced intellect. In the empirical section, the research seeks to verify whether the test, which evaluates selected aspects of sight perception, is a suitable tool for dynamic examination of children with mild mental disabilities and whether and in what form of intervention, the pupils who have been included in the research project experience different results in the pre-test and post-test. Based on the detected results, the Visual Perception Test appears to be a very effective tool in dynamic diagnostics for individuals with mild mental retardation. In the conclusion and the recommendations, the work presents the detected suitable forms of intervention for each particular pupil.

The study aimed at giving a thick description of African families' experiences, views, cultural beliefs and interpretations of traumatic brain injury (TBI), and making recommendations for rehabilitation. It was conducted from the qualitative research paradigm, adopting a phenomenological research method. Twenty-two pairs of participants (patients and their caregivers )were interviewed about their perception of TBI. The semi-structured interviews were conducted at the participants' homes in Sesotho, and where necessary in their home languages. The consequences of TBI were found to follow universal trends (Oddy, 1984). However, participants' perceptions, as shaped by their experiences, views and cultural beliefs, were found to be unique. On analysing the gathered data, using inductive data analysis, it was found that African families' interpretations of TBI were based on beliefs about witchcraft, thwasa, Satanism, ancestral anger and God's wish. Based on these findings, rehabilitation services in the form of education, advocacy, networking and family therapy are recommended. / Psychology / M.A.(Clinical Psychology)

The thesis aims at acquiring relevant information concerning the motivation of clients, their guardians or statutory representatives for the choice of residential service. Research question: Why do families leave clients in the care of residential facility of social services even though they have knowledge, skills, and material potential to provide the care of their members in the family? The theoretical part of the thesis defines basic terms and briefly describes the Home for Persons with Disabilities in Zběšičky. The sample consists of families of clients that are interested in their family members and continually cooperate with the Home for Persons with Disabilities in Zběšičky. It is a quota sampling where quotas are conditioned by the interest and cooperation of family members. When elaborating the practical part I chose the qualitative research strategy because of the sensitivity of acquired data and with the view of the ethically very problematic area of study. In-depth interviews with clients? families were selected as the questioning method. Interview transcripts, notes from the dates etc. were given to the thesis supervisor Ing. Lucie Kozlová, Ph.D. at her disposal upon the agreement of communication partners while a promise was given that they would not be handed over to a third person. Only the data coming from the communication partners who had agreed with their processing into the final version and had answered all questions by the end of the data acquisition were used as the results of the diploma thesis. The results of this thesis displayed that families have not come through the whole process of the coping ? admission of the child and have chosen passive and escapist strategies in which they remain. They rationalize their decision by pointing out the necessity of the provision of indispensable complex care which they cannot provide to the clients at home, the demanding character of the care, the presently worsening health state of the carers, the inevitability of care of client?s siblings etc. By the placement in the residential service with regular visits of the client at home, the persisting ambivalent relations to the client manifest themselves together with the necessity to maintain the contact and saturate emotional needs at least in this way. A combination of several factors influences the decision to place there their family member. The placement of a client in the residential service is understood by the families as the final and definitive solution. Therefore passive attitudes to possible changes prevail and families conform to changing demands from the social services providers only unwillingly. With difficulties they get accustomed to the change of the attitude of the society oriented from the paternalist concept of social work towards the assumption of responsibility and active solution of proper situation. It is obvious from the interviews that families have potential, knowledge and skills to take care of their handicapped family members in the home environment, but they refuse the permanent care. In the course of in-depth interviews, I have managed to get into a more intensive relationship and cooperation with clients? families. Knowledge acquired is a valuable feedback for the assessment of the quality of provided care and for the adaptation to the real needs of the clients and their families. Moreover, the results have influenced the ongoing process of quality standards revision and amended methodical materials in the facility. In the spirit of humanizing and transformation changes in the facility, common education of facility employees and our clients? families has been intensively prepared and common meetings of families have been supported in a more substantial way. An increased care is now dedicated to carers.

Studies of Individual traits perceived as necessary to achieve managerial effectiveness, while multitudinous in the world of commerce, have yet to be undertaken as they apply to managers in residential facilities serving mentally retarded individuals. The problem of this study was to identify a group of individual traits perceived as characteristic of effective managers in residential facilities for the mentally retarded. Projectively, the identified traits could constitute valid criterion for consideration in the selection process utilized in employing managers for both public and private facilities. The primary purpose of this study was to develop an instrument which would enable the interviewer to secure information regarding specific individual traits. An informed predictive decision regarding the effective management potential, of the individual, for a residential facility for mentally retarded individuals would be greatly enhanced. The secondary purpose of the study was to focus on a comparison between group responses for each of the 25 trait items. The study will identify significant differences and relationships between the responses of State Directors of Mental Retardation Programs, Assistants to Texas Deputy Commissioner for Mental Retardation, Superintendents of Texas State Schools for the Mentally Retarded and a select group of managerial personnel within Texas State Schools for the Mentally Retarded. Comparison of response profiles contribute to an index of preferential traits for each of the managerial groups by contrasting patterns of preferences between all managerial groups and delineating traits which were common in preference among all groups. The tertiary purpose of the study was to identify patterns of personal traits which should constitute valid criterion for consideration in the selection process utilized in employing managers for both public and private facilities. Specific attention was given to the managerial trait preferences of each group of managers included in the study.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:45:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissCMV.pdf: 1034326 bytes, checksum: fb7bb48f636073d6e197af6bc2e6998b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-02-21 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / In order to realize a real inclusion, besides politics, structural and educational aspects, it is also essential to consider the subjective and relational aspects involved in the process. The lack of information and daily contact among people without disabilities with people with disabilities can contribute to the construction of preconception and difficulties in the social interactions between both. The present research describes conceptions and social attitudes of children without disabilities concerning mental retardation and inclusion, and analyzes the effects of an informative program about these aspects. The participants of this research were forty children from two the first grade classrooms in one public elementary school localized in Marília, State of São Paulo. One of the classrooms participated as a control group. Every child was submitted to a pre and a post-test in the form of individual interviews about the issue. They also participated in the application of childish scale on social attitudes in respect to the inclusion. The experimental group participated in the informative program, composed of thirteen weekly meetings of one hour and thirty minutes duration each in which it were discussed limitations and possibilities of people with mental retardation, specialized assistance, their scholarization and familiar and social aspects, utilizing a variety of ludic and educational strategies. The data collected during the interviews were categorized and analyzed in its content. From the scale, it was obtained individual scores. Statistics calculations were realized to verify the significance of the differences among groups. The results indicated that the informative program favored a higher understanding of the mental retardation, including a more realistic view of the possible limitations and abilities of people with disabilities as well as their needs of support and the environment transformation. Moreover, the perception of similarities among people with and without disabilities, social acceptance and favorable attitudes towards inclusion increased. The results also indicated the necessity to develop research and intervention about this issue along with the community, which leads to the construction of more appropriate conceptions, attitudes, positive feelings and inclusion facilitators since the childhood. / Para se efetivar uma real inclusão, além dos aspectos políticos, estruturais e educacionais, é essencial que se considere também os aspectos subjetivos e relacionais envolvidos no processo. A desinformação e a falta de contato cotidiano de pessoas sem deficiência com pessoas com deficiência podem contribuir para a construção de preconceitos e dificuldades nas interações sociais entre ambas. A presente pesquisa descreveu concepções e atitudes sociais de crianças não-deficientes acerca da deficiência mental e da inclusão e analisou os efeitos de um programa informativo sobre elas. Participaram do estudo quarenta crianças de duas salas de primeira série de uma escola estadual de Marília-SP. Uma das salas participou como grupo controle. Todas as crianças passaram por um pré e um pós-teste, na forma de entrevistas individuais sobre o tema e de aplicação de uma escala infantil de atitudes sociais em relação à inclusão. O grupo experimental participou do programa informativo, composto por treze encontros semanais de uma hora e meia de duração cada nos quais foram discutidas as limitações e as possibilidades das pessoas com deficiência mental, o atendimento especializado, sua escolarização e aspectos familiares e sociais, utilizando estratégias lúdicas e educacionais variadas. Os dados coletados nas entrevistas foram categorizados e analisados em seu conteúdo. Com a escala, foram obtidos escores individuais. Foram realizados cálculos estatísticos para verificar a significância das diferenças entre os grupos. Os resultados indicam que o programa informativo proporcionou um maior entendimento da deficiência mental, incluindo uma visão mais realista das possíveis limitações, das habilidades de pessoas deficientes e das necessidades de apoio e transformações do meio para atender às suas necessidades. Além disso, aumentou a percepção das similaridades entre pessoas com e sem deficiência, a aceitação social do deficiente e as atitudes favoráveis à inclusão. Os resultados apontam para a necessidade de ampliação de pesquisas e intervenções sobre o tema junto à comunidade, que levem à construção de concepções mais adequadas, de atitudes e sentimentos positivos e de facilitadores à inclusão, desde a infância.

This thesis deals with development of personal, but mainly physical and motor skills of people with mental disabilities by application of yoga movement therapy. My research has aimed to find out if an intensive week-long programme of yoga relaxation exercises can lead to improvement of fine motor skills, mobility, and the overall physical condition of mentally-disabled people of the 1st to 3rd level of disability. The research was conducted during the week-long school stay in nature. The participants were tested both the first and last day of their stay. The research sample was composed of six women and four men from the school for persons with special needs in Česke Budějovice. The methods utilised during the research were direct observation, evaluation and questioning to detect changes in indicators of physical condition and fine motor skills (including grasping reflexes of participants and familiarisation with new expressions). The results show positive change in these indicators. The therapy regimen resulted in the improvement in movement coordination, fine subtle skills of arms in everyday{\crq}s patient{\crq}s self-care activities; and the positive influence of yoga was also observed on psychological well-being of participants. The research project was beneficial for the participants and can serve as a model for further utilisation in the field applications of yoga exercises for people with mental disabilities.

Mentally retarded children, teenagers and adults form a specific, one of the most numerous, group among handicapped people. Mental retardation is a mental impairment characterised by subaverage intelectual functioning, different development of psychic qualities and limitations in adaptive behaviour. It is usually caused by an organic brain damage. The retardation is not a disease, it´s a long-life handicap. The findings of the research has shown that persons with a mild mental retardation hardly ever find a job in the open labour market or in the sheltered workshops. However, the employers are not also concerned in providing these people with a job.

Artetherapy with mentally handicapped persons is very extensive and diverse, just like various forms of mental retardation. The first objective of the present thesis was to ascertain which artetherapeutic procedures and art techniques can be applied when working with mentally handicapped clients. The second objective was to ascertain whether artetherapy helps to develop the overall personality in a positive way, whether it propitiously affects concentration, skilfulness and memory, or whether it supports creativity and socialization of the mentally handicapped. The third objective was to ascertain how mentally handicapped persons would react if they were given the opportunity to work creatively. To research the problems described, the author chose the quantitative technique. Methods applied were: observation, non-standard interview, content analysis of the data from medical and psychological documents and analysis of personal documents. The target group was 7 persons living in the ``Barevný svět{\crqq} Daily Centre. Having made use of previous knowledge, I made three hypotheses. H1: ``Mentally handicapped persons need a sufficient amount of time to acquire the technique that would help them express themselves more easily.{\crqq} H2: ``Artetherapy helps to develop the overall personality in a positive way, it propitiously affects concentration, skilfulness and positive thinking and last but not least, it supports creativity and socialization of the mentally handicapped.{\crqq} H3: ``Mentally handicapped persons positively react to the opportunity to work creatively, they are sincerely interested in this work, and they show great excitement about the results that they have achieved.{\crqq} The research has proved that the clients need to be given a lot of time to acquire painting and drawing techniques in order to express themselves in a better way. However, we must say that there is no single particular technique or procedure that we would be able to apply with each and every mentally handicapped person. The research results have confirmed that artetherapy helps to develop the overall personality, it propitiously affects concentration, skilfulness and positive thinking and last but not least, it supports creativity and socialization of the mentally handicapped. React to the opportunity to work creatively, they are sincerely interested in their work, and they show great excitement about the results that they have achieved.