Cognitive-perceptual treatment of exceptional children

Adopting the notion that cognitive operations consist of multiple stages of information-processing, this treatment is designed to specify the locus and nature of the child's deficits in information processing and to compensate for these deficits. Our own clinical and empirical observations, as well as the findings of others, have convinced us that this treatment programme can be applied to exceptional children of many different diagnoses, including emotionally disturbed, learning disabled, autistic, and mentally retarded. A case study involving a seven-year-old autistic child is presented to illustrate the technique, process, and effectiveness of the treatment programme.