Based upon a conference held in Bethesda in 1985, this volume brings together the research and theoretical perspectives of experts in the developmental aspects of motor control, coordination, and skill in the mentally handicapped. This is accomplished within the context of cognition. Section I deals with the dynamics of controlling movement skill and the nature of the variables that mediate the learning of motor skills. Sections II and III examine the traditional area of research in motor behavior, i.e., the speed of information processing and reaction time paradigms. The last section discusses the issue of training to minimize the effects of mental retardation on motor behavior.

Psychological research on children with mental and physical handicaps began two hundred years ago. Its major development awaited the maturation of psychology as an empirical science and of social movements for child welfare and education. This book is a record of the research accomplished in the 1980s. While at the end of the 19th century, behavioral research on handicapped children could at best be characterized as pioneering; by the beginning of the 1990s, it had become a vigorous activity with scientists producing hundreds of articles a year. The result has been a level of detail in theory and factual support that was not previously available. This volume is written for those who know something about psychology and education, but who are unfamiliar with research on children with handicaps. This might include parents of children with handicaps, upper-level undergraduate and graduate students looking for research topics, and professionals in developmental psychology and the education of normal children who wish to familiarize themselves with the recent developments in the study of deviations in behavioral development.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.

Co-ordination of movement plays a key role in human development and is an important area in sport and health sciences. This book looks in detail at how children develop basic skills, such as walking and reaching for objects, and more complex skills such as throwing and catching a ball accurately or riding a bicycle. Development of Movement Co-ordination in Children is informed by five major theoretical perspectives and are explained in an introductory chapter: * neural maturation * information processing * direct perception * dynamic systems * constraint theory. The international contributions are brought together under the headings of ergonomics, health sciences and sport. Focusing on practical applications, individual chapters cover many different aspects of movement behaviour and development, ranging from children's over-estimation of their physical abilities and the links to injury proneness, to the co-ordination of kicking techniques. Both normal and abnormal development is considered. This text will be of considerable interest to students, teachers and professionals in the fields of sport science, kinesiology, physical education, ergonomics and developmental psychology.

Part 2: Motor Development, Learning, and Adaptive Change.

Selected problems in movement-skill development are highlighted in this book. Some of the topics discussed are cerebral palsy, blindness, mental retardation, apraxia and general movement-skill problems. Each review of a topic is divided roughly into a description of the nature of the problem and an analysis of suggested determinants and influences.

Special education is now an established part of public education in the United States—by law and by custom. However, it is still widely misunderstood and continues to be dogged by controversies related to such things as categorization, grouping, assessment, placement, funding, instruction, and a variety of legal issues. The purpose of this 13-part, 57-chapter handbook is to help profile and bring greater clarity to this sprawling and growing field. To ensure consistency across the volume, chapter authors review and integrate existing research, identify strengths and weaknesses, note gaps in the literature, and discuss implications for practice and future research. Key features include: Comprehensive Coverage—Fifty-seven chapters cover all aspects of special education in the United States including cultural and international comparisons. Issues & Trends—In addition to synthesizing empirical findings and providing a critical analysis of the status and direction of current research, chapter authors discuss issues related to practice and reflect on trends in thinking. Categorical Chapters—In order to provide a comprehensive and comparative treatment of the twelve categorical chapters in section IV, chapter authors were asked to follow a consistent outline: Definition, Causal Factors, Identification, Behavioral Characteristics, Assessment, Educational Programming, and Trends and Issues. Expertise—Edited by two of the most accomplished scholars in special education, chapter authors include a carefully chosen mixture of established and rising young stars in the field. This book is an appropriate reference volume for anyone (researchers, scholars, graduate students, practitioners, policy makers, and parents) interested in the state of special education today: its research base, current issues and practices, and future trends. It is also appropriate as a textbook for graduate level courses in special education.

Bringing together leading experts--and providing vital insights to guide clinical practice--this is the first volume to comprehensively address childhood motor disorders from a neuropsychological perspective. The book explores the neural and behavioral bases of movement disorders and summarizes current findings from applied research. Existing approaches to assessment and neuroimaging are critically examined, and new and innovative methods presented. Authors also synthesize the latest knowledge on motor difficulties associated with specific developmental and neurological problems: cerebral palsy; neuromuscular disease; autism; brain injury; disorders of coordination, speech, and written language; and more. Other important topics covered include psychosocial effects of motor skills impairments, frequently encountered comorbidities, and the status of available intervention approaches.

Difficulties in motor behavior are commonly associated with a variety of disabilities. Early research efforts focused on descriptions of specific groups of people or on evaluations of intervention programs. Only recently have investigators begun to explore questions from a variety of theoretical positions in an attempt to build a more fundamental understanding of the disabled person. The present volume represents views of major methodological issues, current research fronts and selected applied concerns from the perspective of the disabled performer. Authors write from a number of theoretical viewpoints and sketch future research directions in these chapters.