Thesis--University of Florida. / Description based on print version record. Typescript. Vita. Bibliography: leaves 117-120.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The purpose of this study was to determine how mentally retarded persons accept or reject their disability by comparing perceptions that retarded individuals hold of themselves with their perceptions of persons labeled as mentally retarded. The study was also designed to compare perceptions that retarded individuals hold of themselves with their perceptions of persons with no disability label. Finally, the study was designed to compare perceptions that retarded individuals hold of persons labeled as mentally retarded with their perceptions of persons with no disability label. The subjects of this study were 48 males and 48 females from sheltered workshops in Arizona. All subjects were identified as mentally retarded by professional staff from the rehabilitation facilities and voluntarily participated in the study. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of six experimental groups. In Group 1, subjects successfully performed an assembly test and evaluated themselves; in Group 2, subjects failed on the assembly test and evaluated themselves. Subjects in Group 3 evaluated a person labeled as mentally retarded after observing that person successfully complete the assembly test; subjects in Group 4 evaluated the same labeled person after observing that person fail on the assembly test. Members of Group 5 observed an unlabeled person succeed at the assembly test and evaluated that person, and members of Group 6 evaluated the same unlabeled person after observing that person fail on the assembly test. A factorial design varying target persons (self vs. person labeled as mentally retarded vs. person with no label) and performance outcomes (success vs. failure) on the assembly test was employed. The dependent variables were: (1) each subject's assessment of the cause of the target person's performance outcome as measured by the Causal Attribution Scale; (2) each subject's description of the target person as measured by the Semantic Differential and the Adjective Checklist; and, (3) each subject's expectations of the target person as measured by the Expectancy Questionnaire. Rank mean scores on each instrument were produced for the experimental groups and analyzed by Mann-Whitney U tests. In general, the results of the study indicated that mentally retarded persons do not perceive extensive differences between themselves and persons who are identified as being mentally retarded. Similarly, someone labeled as mentally retarded is not perceived in any more less favorable terms than a person who is not identified as being mentally retarded.

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There has been a growing trend towards integrating persons with disabilities into community life. Mathematics is important to the success of such an initiative, but very little attention has been given to this area. This paper presents the results of a four-year study examining the strategies used by intellectually disabled children when adding numbers. / At the beginning of the study, all subjects could count to 10 and recognize numbers to 10, but most could not add. Subjects were evaluated each year on their ability to solve addition problems with sums no greater than nine. Subjects were divided into three groups based on first year results. Those in group 1 demonstrated no knowledge of addition, group 2 used the erroneous strategy of adding one to an addend, and group 3 included children with Down Syndrome who used a variety of strategies. / Over the next three years, subjects, in general, progressed in a manner similar to nondisabled children with regard to strategies, the order in which they were developed, error patterns, and the order in which number pairs were memorized.

This study examined the relationship between the principle of normalization and the concept of quality of life of intellectually challenged adults living in the community. The effect of demographic variables on the quality of life of this population was examined. The sample consisted of sixty respondents from four agencies (one from Montreal and three from Ottawa) providing services to intellectually challenged adults. Cummins' (1997) Comprehensive Quality of Life---Intellectual Disability Fifth Edition (ComQol-I5) was used. / Both objective and subjective quality of life scores were calculated. The major findings were: (1) the subjective scores were higher than the objective scores; (2) a number of subjective scores were positively correlated with the objective score for community (attending leisure/social activities, belonging to a group and/or holding a position of responsibility) and (3) higher functioning respondents (income, diagnosis, education and living arrangements) had significantly higher overall quality of life scores. Results were compared with two outside samples (Italian and Australian); all three samples showed a similar pattern of lower objective scores and higher subjective scores.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a behavioral training program on the simple toy play responses of three adolescents with severe and profound mental retardation. Also investigated were possible differences in the difficulty in initial acquisition and generality of the five toy functions chosen: direct push, build, pull, indirect electronic push, and wind. Two toys in each functional category were used. Using a multiple baseline across subjects design, each subject was scored on appropriate toy play during each session. Baseline sessions consisted simply of presenting the toy to the, subject and requesting him/her to play with it. During treatment sessions, the training sequence consisted of a verbal stimulus, a verbal instruction, modeling, shadowing, partial graduated guidance, and full graduated guidance. All subjects received positive reinforcement (i.e., verbal and physical praise with or without edibles) following every appropriate response. Because all subjects reached the prespecified mastery level of each of the 10 toys, it was concluded that the training sequence was an efficient technology in teaching toy play responses. In addition, the relative difficulty among and generality within functions was discussed.

This thesis has attempted to determine psycholinguistic differences between inner-city retarded children and suburban retarded children. The instruments used in this study are: The Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities and The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. The subjects used in this study are forty eight-year-old educable mentally retarded children attending special classes in the Indianapolis Public Schools: twenty children from the inner-city and twenty children from suburban schools. Language differences between the two groups are demonstrated.In addition, there is a description of language differences of four subgroups: girls, boys, black children, white children.