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Some conditions affecting manipulative play with objects in severely mentally handicapped children
Child: Care, Health and Development
|January 1, 1981
Summary
Severely handicapped children show varied responses to play materials. While many engage readily, some require more support, with sensory additions offering little consistent benefit for these slow responders.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Childhood Special Education
- Play Therapy
Background:
- Understanding play behavior in children with severe handicaps is crucial for developmental support.
- Previous research indicates variability in object interaction among these children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate object contact and manipulative play in severely handicapped children.
- To determine factors influencing engagement with play materials, including sensory feedback and object novelty.
Main Methods:
- Four experiments were conducted with severely handicapped children functioning at a 1-2 year developmental level.
- Researchers observed object contact, manipulation, and interaction with adults across different play conditions.
Main Results:
- Many handicapped children contacted novel objects as readily as typical children, with auditory/visual feedback sustaining engagement.
- A minority of 'slow responders' showed delayed object contact, unaffected by added stimulus features like lights or sounds.
- Handicapped children engaged less with adults and used toys less representationally compared to typical peers.
Conclusions:
- Severely handicapped children exhibit diverse interaction patterns with play materials.
- Sensory enhancements do not consistently improve engagement for all children, particularly slow responders.
- Social interaction and symbolic play appear to be areas where differences with typically developing peers are most pronounced.