Sensory integrative therapy as a treatment for self-injurious behavior (SIB) was contrasted with an attention control condition involving a 15-year-old multiply handicapped boy. Lower rates of SIB during but not following treatment sessions were effected. Effects of such therapies are concluded to be highly variable across individuals. (Author/JDD)

Examination of the first 50 words of three blind children revealed that the early vocabulary paralleled that of seeing children in terms of age and speed of acquisition. Differences between the two groups were related to factors which were highly influenced by experience (including visual experience). (Author/CB)

Outlines a simple classroom demonstration that illustrates Piagetian conservation. Piagetian conservation refers to the illusion of an increase in mass by changing an object's form. This demonstration, done by forming an ellipse with an extension cord, shows that college students are as susceptible to this effect as are young children. (MJP)

The aim of this study was to investigate pediatric occupational therapists' general experience and practice with weighted vests and their impressions about whether weighted vests are effective in changing specific behaviors of children with whom they have used weighted vests. A survey was mailed to a random sample of 514 pediatric occupational…

This booklet is designed to help persons who have elderly family members or who work with older adults understand and help compensate for the sensory changes that occur in later life. It contains sections on vision, hearing, taste and smell, and touch. Discussed in the section on vision are the following: common age-related changes, eye diseases…

The word and picture processing abilities of 11 children (ages 6-10) with partial vision were studied in a variety of ways over a period of 14 months. The studies found that in processing words partially sighted children, like fully sighted children, used both lexical and nonlexical processing, though perhaps in difference balance. Recognition and…

The second of nine volumes in the SER-LARS (Special Education Resources Location Analysis and Retrieval System) series, a diagnostic-prescriptive instructional data bank for teachers of handicapped children, presents learning objectives organized by content descriptions. The volume is explained to give a history of the use of each objective along…

The program activities, curriculum, and evaluation of the Pennsylvania Research in Infant Development and Education (PRIDE) Project are described in this report. The project is an educational effort to accelerate the development of children, 12-52 months of age, by providing developmentally enriching experiences in a controlled environment which…

Some very practical questions about how children learn the first language compel us to study brain functions and how these functions evolve. They also bring the studies of linguistics and neurology together. The purpose of this paper is to relate some of the research that describes language acquisition with the research about the early development…

Presents the results of a study where five-, seven-, and nine-year olds were asked to draw three figures: one standing still and facing them, one standing still in profile, and one running in profile. Half drew from imagination and half drew from models. Discusses the differences between the efforts. (MJP)

An approach to the diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders is presented that considers the difficulties in relationships and communication secondary to sensory and motor processing deficits. These difficulties are conceptualized as Multisystem Developmental Disorder (MSDD), and case vignettes illustrate typical patterns of MSDD and…

Written by the mother of a child with autism, this article discusses the journey from a diagnosis of autism at age 3 through the many therapies to upper grade school, where the child is doing so well that they have considered dropping the diagnosis. The miracles and hard work are discussed. (CR)

This book examines the body's role in learning, by reviewing recent scientific insights into the ways that movement initiates and supports mental processes. Part 1 focuses on the brain and physical development, emphasizing the growth of the body/mind capacities with which we learn. It explores three distinct but interconnected kinds of body/mind…

A number of language classroom activities designed to incorporate the senses into the English-as-a-Second-Language learning process are described. The strategies used involve group problem-solving, role-playing, information-gap activities using drawing and visual aids, the Total Physical Response approach, student-developed illustrations, games…

This investigation studied the performance of fifteen normal and fifteen language-disabled children on experimental pragmatic tasks and on a standardized Piagetian measure of sensorimotor intelligence. The children were matched for mean length of utterance, all subjects performing at the holophrastic level. A series of experimental measures was…