Using Aims and Objectives in a Multidisciplinary Team

There is a considerable interest in the use of aims and objectives with mentally and multiply handicapped people. This article describes how a multidisciplinary team sets and implements aims and objectives for mentally handicapped children who live in a hospital. It also includes examples of recording a team meeting, an individual activity and a small group activity.

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The Effect of Different Combinations of Continuous and Partial Reinforcement Schedules on Response Persistence in Mentally Handicapped Children

Behavioural Psychotherapy ◽

10.1017/s0141347300008478 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 23-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kevin J. Tierney ◽

Howard V. Smith

Keyword(s):

Partial Reinforcement ◽

Variable Ratio ◽

Reinforcement Schedules ◽

Mentally Handicapped ◽

Continuous Reinforcement ◽

Handicapped Children ◽

Handicapped People ◽

Different Shapes ◽

Response Persistence

Two experiments investigated the effects on persistence of behaviour in extinction of different training procedures, using mentally handicapped boys who were trained to place objects of different shapes into matching holes in a box for sensory reinforcers. In Experiment 1 two subjects were given three training procedures: (i) a C-C procedure, consisting of 80 trials of continuous reinforcement (CRF); (ii)a P-P procedure, consisting of 80 trials of variable ratio reinforcement (VR5); and (iii) a C-P procedure, consisting of 40 trials on CRF followed by 40 on VR5. Extinction occurred most quickly after C-C training, next quickest after P-P training. In experiment 2 with four boys, C-P training of 160 trials of CRF, followed by 120 trials of VR5, produced quicker extinction than P-P training of 280 trials of VR5 reinforcement. The implications of these results for training persistent behaviour in mentally handicapped people are discussed.

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A Parent Group for Parents of Mentally Handicapped Children

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy ◽

10.1017/s0141347300006066 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 49-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Judy Hutchings ◽

Keith Fearns ◽

John Williams

Keyword(s):

Social Workers ◽

Social Worker ◽

School Children ◽

Home Visiting ◽

Community Nurse ◽

Mentally Handicapped ◽

Handicapped Children ◽

Parent Group ◽

Teaching Group ◽

Handicapped People

This paper is a description of one parent teaching group and what we and the parents did. The group was run by a psychologist and two social workers.In Gwynedd a service for mentally handicapped people is developing. For most of the pre-school children and some of the older ones this includes a Portage type home visiting where usually a psychologist and a specialist community nurse or sometimes a social worker visit and help the parents to set goals and teach new behaviour to their handicapped relatives. Often, too, they are trying to help parents to cope with difficult behaviour.

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Goal Planning in Residential Care for the Severely Mentally Handicapped

Behavioural Psychotherapy ◽

10.1017/s0141347300005206 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J. C. Clements

Keyword(s):

Current Knowledge ◽

Small Scale ◽

Mentally Handicapped ◽

Handicapped Children ◽

Teaching Role ◽

Large Numbers ◽

Handicapped People ◽

Children And Young Adults ◽

Goal Planning ◽

General Service

Effecting change in any organisation is a difficult process (Watson, 1972; Georgiades & Phillimore, 1975), but this is particularly so in hospitals for the mentally handicapped. These are under considerable public pressure to change the aims of the organisation away from simply a caring role, and towards a teaching role aimed at the maximum development of each individual's abilities. Translating these demands into tangible changes presents enormous problems. Very often projects which demonstrate what can be done for the handicapped remain isolated examples of excellence, and do not translate into general service provision effecting the lives of large numbers of handicapped people. The gap between current knowledge and actual practice remains enormous. The particular programmes to be described here arose out of just a small scale “demonstration” project with a group of children on one ward in a mental handicap hospital (Clements, 1976). This programme which was highly staffed aimed at encouraging the all round development of a group of young profoundly, and multiply handicapped children. These children were part of a 30 bedded-ward for multiply handicapped children and young adults. The ages ranged from 12–23 years, no child was fully ambulant, none had any speech, none were continent, and only a few were able to feed themselves. After the success of the demonstration programme, it became necessary to find ways of applying the findings to the ordinary ward situation, where staff ratios were far less favourable. And if a method of sustaining a whole-ward programme were found, this would be of relevance to other wards within the hospital complex.

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