Experimental Pedagogical Research on the Development of Language Training Programs for Mentally Retarded Children.

1986 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 60301041
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Co-operative Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Educaion
• Research Institution: National Institute for Educational Research(N.I.E.R.)
• Principal Investigator: AMANO Kiyoshi N.I.E.R. Head of Section, その他, 研究員 (00000414)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): OHSIRO Eimei The National Institute for Special Education, Researcher, 視覚障害教育研究部, 研究員 (80185256) ; JIN Tuneo Iwate University, lector, 教育学部, 講師 (30113856) ; AMANO Sachiko Kagawa Nutrition College, Associate professor, 助教授 (60076172) ; WATAMAKI Tohru Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Prefectural Colony, Researcher, 発達障害研究所・治療学部, 研究員 (70142172) ; NINOMIYA Akira Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Prefectural Colony, Researcher, 発達障害研究所・能力開発部, 研究員 (60132924)
• Project Period (FY): 1985 – 1986
• Keywords: language training program / mentally retarded children / language training / communication behavior / symbolic function / teaching of interrogative sentences / connective usage of adjectives / 言語の実験的教育

Research Abstract

In this study we administered the experimental language training to 14 mentally retarded (M.R.)children with severe retardation in language development under the following experimental language training programs.
The main findings are as follows:
1) Words acquisition promoting programs. Two severe M.R. non verbal children underwent training under two kinds of program, aiming at acquisition of symbolic function and words through formation of joint action and objective action with object. As results they could acquire passive words, but could hardly acquire symbolic function and active ones through the training.
2) Active vocabulary and active communication program. Four severe M.R. children with autism and one with Down's syndrome underwent training under the program, aiming at formation of active verbal communication in the concrete situations. As the results, all of them showed progress in communication behaviors and especially one of them acquired active symbolic verbal act through the training.
3) Teaching Program of interrogative sentences with interrogative words: Five M.R. children with Down's syndrome having acquired fundamental ability of syntactic sentence production, underwent the training under the program aiming at teaching interrogative sentences with interrogative words (who,what,whom,with what,where,how). Here training pictures with the linear schema of interrogative sentences and symbolic figures representing interrogative words were used. As the results, it was found that this program was effective in teaching interrogative sentences to M.R.children, although they had to repeat the training many times.
4) Teaching program of noun predicate sentences and of connective usage of two adjectives. Two M.R.children with Down's syndrome having acquired fundamental syntactic ability participated in the training under the program, which intend to form the ability to produce such a sentence as "Is is a long broad pencil" through formation of classification of objects and symbolization of features of objects by symbolic figures. As the results this program was found to be very effective in teaching these sentences to M.R.children.
The research report, containing 7 papers, was published at the end of March 1987.