Analysis and intervention to language and communication of mentally retarded children with autistic tendency in group settings

1989 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 62450042
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Educaion
• Research Institution: National Institute of Special Education
• Principal Investigator: MIYAZAKI Nobuo National Institute of Special Education, Department of the Education for the Mentally Retarded, Director, 精神薄弱教育研究部, 部長 (20150055)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): OHTA Toshiki the same Researcher, 精神薄弱教育研究部, 研究員 (50152145) ; OGATA Akiko the same Researcher, 精神薄弱教育研究部, 研究員 (40170419) ; OGATA Toshio the same Researcher, 精神薄弱教育研究部, 研究員 (80152370) ; SHINOHARA Yoshinori the same Chief, 精神薄弱教育研究部, 室長 (10150054) ; OSHIO Chikamori the same Chief, 精神薄弱教育研究部, 室長 (90090422)
• Project Period (FY): 1987 – 1989
• Keywords: Mentally retarded children with autistic tendency / Autistic / Language intervention / Group setting / Lesson / Material / Question-answering / 応答

Research Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze verbal and communication behavior of mentally retarded children with autistic tendency in group settings in order to find practical suggestions.
The report is composed of five articles , and major findings from those articles are as follows :
(1) Communication process between a non-verbal mentally retarded child with autistic tendency and teachers was analyzed. Results showed that duration and rate of communicative interaction between the child and teachers were different among the teachers, and this difference was attributed to the function and meaning of child's communication behavior.
(2) Effective prompting to facilitate appropriate answering to teacher's questions was analyzed. Two types of prompting were found to be effective in group setting. One type was to call for child's attention, and the other was to prompt child's answering skills.
(3) The third article studied the role of materials in a setting of group learning on "time" in terms of m ediator of communication in teaching process. It was found that concrete materials facilitated teacher-child communication and comprehension of teacher's instructions.
(4) Child's attending behavior in relation to teacher's behavior in lessons of special class at regular elementary school was analyzed. It was found that child's attending behavior was influenced by teacher's non-verbal behavior, especially the presentation of materials showed to be most influential.
(5) A child with autistic features who had been mainstreamed in a kindergarten was studied. After analyses on educational process, communication at one-to-one session, and play behavior in free play setting, it was found that the child's communication skill developed rapidly from one-to-one setting by naturalistic language training with limited effect on interpersonal relationship. After additional intervention was done to develop interaction with other children, interaction at group setting as well as free play setting was increased.