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Biomedical subjects

R McConkey

Publications and source records attributed to R McConkey.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

The performance of children with a moderate mental handicap on simple counting tasks.

This study examines both oral and object counting, and the ability to read numerals in a group of 51 children with a moderate degree of mental handicap. The findings indicate deficiencies in basic counting competencies across a wide spread of ability. There is also evidence for a distinction between oral and object counting on a cognitive skills basis. The findings are discussed within a remediation context.

Achievement

Home-based learning programmes for mentally handicapped people in rural areas of Zimbabwe.

This paper describes the operation of a community-based rehabilitation programme specifically for mentally handicapped children and young adults living with their families in rural areas of Zimbabwe. Details are given of the clients enrolled in the programme and the teaching goals used with them. Evaluation data on the programme's effectiveness is also presented. Three features are identified as being central to the programme's success, 1) partnership with existing agencies in the area, 2) the training and monitoring that is provided by specialist staff in mental handicap, and 3) the provision of resource materials -- forms, cards, videos -- which are tailored to the cultural, linguistic and literacy needs of the recipients. The efficient use of specialist staff is highlighted as are future areas for research and development.

Activities of Daily Living

Parental speech to young Down's syndrome children: an intervention study.

Parents with Down's syndrome children who were at the one-two word stage of expressive language development were given a language objective to work towards with their child, but no instructions on how to attain this goal. The parents spontaneously altered their language strategies in their attempts. Some parents were more successful and differed in their strategies, using more target words in shorter "statement" utterances. Parents who used a questioning or imitating strategy were less successful. The less successful parents were then shown how to alter their language strategies more appropriately to produce a greater improvement in their child's use of the target words.

Child