Reuben Altman

Social-Emotional Development of Gifted Children and Adolescents: A Research Model.

This article summarizes the contradictory evidence regarding the social and emotional stability of gifted youngsters. While the research literature tends to support a view of equal or superior adjustment, an increasing concern for the mental health of gifted students is emerging among professionals and in the media. Six factors are discussed which suggest particular sources of stress for the gifted. Finally, a research model capable of both generating empirical studies and integrating the results from diverse investigators is suggested.

The autistic savant: Recognizing and serving the gifted student with autism

Among the relatively neglected minority of gifted youngsters with handicapping conditions are those children referred to as autistic savants. These gifted students with autism are characterized by remarkable areas of talent despite their pervasive disabilities in communication and social development. This article focuses attention on this particularly underserved population of handicapped gifted students. The authors emphasize the educational potential inherent in this handicapping condition by encouraging awareness, identification, and program planning for this low incidence gifted subgroup.

RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF MODELING AND VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS ON SEVERE RETARDATES' GROSS MOTOR PERFORMANCE

Previous research utilizing modeling procedures with the severely retarded has used verbal instruction contiguous to imitation training. This study explored the relative efficacy of modeling and verbal instruction employed independently. The failure to achieve imitative learning under either treatment condition is consistent with the reported non-imitative status of this population. Methodological implications for modeling as a behavior modification technique with this population are discussed.

Preparing Institutionalized Retarded for Autonomous Living: Training for Illness and Retirement.

AbstractCurrent training programs, designed to habilitate the institutionalized mentally retarded for autonomous living outside of a protective environment, have focused little on prescriptive practices in two important areas: health care and old age and its consequences. This paper presents suggestions for training programs in self-help care and in preparation for the realities of future life which should help produce community living adult mentally retarded better equipped to cope with two of lifes most important and unavoidable realities —. recurring illness and eventual unemployment.

Effects of Novelty on Verbal Reinforcement Effectiveness with Retardates

The excessive deployment of verbal encouragement with institutionalized retardates and the demonstrated effects of stimulus satiation suggest that verbal reinforcement may be of diminishing effectiveness with this population. The present study explored the feasibility of enhancing the effectiveness of verbal reinforcement via a novel mode of reinforcement presentation. Subjects receiving novel verbal reinforcement evidenced heightened perceptual-motor performance over subjects receiving traditional verbal reinforcement, and both treatments were superior to a control condition in which subjects were not reinforced.

EFFECTS OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE FEEDBACK ON THE MOTOR PERFORMANCE OF MONGOLOIDS

Performance on a marble-dropping task by groups of 10 mongoloid Ss was compared under 3 conditions of verbal feedback: negative feedback for errors, positive feedback for correct responses, and a combination of negative and positive feedback for errors and correct responses respectively. Results suggest that Ss with negative feedback outperformed the other groups and that the group with combined feedback outperformed those with only positive feedback. Failure-avoidance was discussed as an important aspect.

Resident participation in institutional policy

areas of achievement that contribute most to overall achievement. Subjects that best discriminated the gifted sample from the normal sample included areas of achievement that are primarily verbally loaded and abstract as well as areas of achievement that are concrete, rote in character, and require simple manipulation. Those areas were measures of vocabulary, mathematics concepts, spelling, and interpretation of graphs, in that order. On the other hand, capitalization, reading comprehension, arithmetic calculation, and grammar were poor discriminators. The general vocabulary test was the most valuable criterion. The optimal combination of predictors of total achievement among the achievement subtests in the stepwise multiple regression equation is reading comprehension, arithmetic calculation, mathematics concepts, and vocabulary, in that order. It is especially interesting that reading comprehension and arithmetic calculation. two areas of achievement that have not been viewed as academic strengths of gifted students, were the two most important subtests in predicting total achievement. However, vocabulary and mathematics concepts are still important in accounting for the variance of total achievement. The main contribution of this study is that it aids in specifying those areas of achievement that best discriminate gifted students from normal students, which strengthens the empirical basis for identification of the gifted. This allows gifted training programs to include segments of the general student population that may have been excluded in the past, especially those for whom traditional identification techniques, such as IQ scores, are not the most appropriate measure.

Social Responsivity in the Profoundly Mentally Retarded

The elicitation of at least one form of social responsivity, the handshake, from 20 of 26 profoundly mentally retarded Ss, challenges the prevailing pessimistic view of the social sensitivity of such Ss. Implications are discussed with reference to possible corrective training practices.