Mild and Moderate Mental Retardation

This study evaluated the relationship between leg strength and endurance run performance, independent of aerobic capacity (V̇O2peak), body size, and gender, in children and adolescents with mild or moderate mental retardation. Twenty-six individuals (15 boys and 11 girls) volunteered and underwent tests of V̇O2peak, isokinetic leg strength, and endurance run performance (600-yard ran/walk and 20-m shuttle run). Results showed that leg strength was significantly related to both types of run performance; however, when controlling for V̇O2peak, body size, and gender, leg strength was a more significant contributor to the 600-yard run/walk than to 20-m shuttle run performance. Gender did not influence these relationships. These data suggest that leg strength has a significant influence on endurance run performance in children and adolescents with mild or moderate mental retardation.

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Residential Assessment of Adults with Moderate Mental Retardation

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1988.66.3.922 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 66 (3) ◽

pp. 922-922 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

John S. Wadsworth ◽

Dennis C. Harper

Keyword(s):

Mental Retardation ◽

Moderate Mental Retardation

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Effects of Imitation on Language Comprehension and Transfer to Production in Children with Mental Retardation

Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders ◽

10.1044/jshd.5401.49 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 54 (1) ◽

pp. 49-56 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Helen K. Ezell ◽

Howard Goldstein

Keyword(s):

Mental Retardation ◽

Language Comprehension ◽

Object Location ◽

Training Procedure ◽

Matrix Training ◽

Novel Object ◽

Alternating Treatments Design ◽

Moderate Mental Retardation ◽

Unknown Words

This study investigated the effects of verbal imitation on the comprehension of novel object-location responses and subsequent transfer of these responses to production. A matrix training procedure was used to teach 2 children with moderate mental retardation syntactic rules for combining known and unknown words into two-word utterances. An alternating treatments design was used with two conditions: receptive teaching with imitation of the target phrase and no imitation of the phrase. Findings suggested that the use of imitation facilitated both generalized receptive learning and transfer to production in both subjects.

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Observational Learning of Comprehension Monitoring Skills in Children Who Exhibit Mental Retardation

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.3401.141 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 141-154 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Helen K. Ezell ◽

Howard Goldstein

Keyword(s):

Mental Retardation ◽

Observational Learning ◽

Multiple Baseline ◽

Comprehension Monitoring ◽

Learning Paradigm ◽

Baseline Design ◽

Moderate Mental Retardation ◽

Message Type ◽

Unfamiliar Word ◽

Idiomatic Phrase

An observational learning paradigm was used to instruct 5 children with mild or moderate mental retardation to monitor their comprehension of inadequate instructions. Instructions were inadequate because of an interfering signal, an unfamiliar word, excessive length, or an unfamiliar idiomatic phrase. Subjects’ peers served as models during the training. A multiple baseline design across subjects and across instruction types was employed. All subjects learned to request clarification of the first three inadequate instructions; however, none of the children learned to request clarification of idiomatic phrases. Although all children eventually demonstrated observational learning, three children required feedback from the trainer before they began to request clarification for one or two of the instruction types. Two children generalized their requesting behavior to the interfering signal message type, suggesting that generalization may be likely to occur between similar message types. During posttesting all children generalized their requesting behavior when presented with two unfamiliar message types, sometimes using new question forms. Four of the 5 children also generalized their requesting behavior in sessions with their teachers 5–10 weeks later.

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