Abstract
Mental handicap refers to a group of conditions whose aetiology often involves organic causes but whose most obvious manifestations involve behavioural and psychological impairments such as low intelligence and a broad range of handicaps such as severely limited self-care and communication skills. The medical profession is obviously involved in the detection and diagnosis, assessment and care of the mentally handicapped. A major part of both assessment and management, however, involves psychological and behavioural techniques. For example, impairments in the ability to learn from experience are universal among the mentally handicapped; since psychologists have traditionally been very concerned with learning, it is not surprising that mental handicap has become one of the major areas of application for the large body of psychological research on learning and conditioning. It is also important that doctors should be aware of the developments and recent advances in the psychological aspects of mental handicap.
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References
Clarke, A.D.B. and Clarke, A.M. (1965) Mental Deficiency: The changing outlook (2nd edn). London: Methuen.
Clarke, A.D.B., Clarke, A.M. and Reiman, I.S. (1958) Cognitive and social changes in the feeble-minded: three further studies. British Journal of Psychology, 49, 144–157.
Gunzburg, H.C. (1968) Progress Assessment Chart of Social and Personal Development: Manual (3rd edn, revised and enlarged). Birmingham: SEFA (publications) Ltd.
Annotated reading
Clarke, A.D.B. and Clarke, A.M. (1965) Mental Deficiency: The changing outlook (2nd edn). London: Methuen. This provides reviews of the clinical manifestations of mental handicap, aetiology, training and management, and service organization and planning. It will be suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students and allows for selective reading if particular aspects of mental handicap are of special interest. The various chapters discuss both biological and psychological aspects of mental handicap, and so facilitate an integrated perspective on the part of the students.
Gunzburg, H.C. (1968) Social Competence and Mental Handicap. London: Ballière, Tinriall and Cassell. This is a very readable and comprehensive discussion of the psychology of mental handicap which gives particular emphasis to assessment, training and management.
Yule, W. and Carr, J. (1980) Behaviour Modification for the Mentally Handicapped. London: Croom Helm. This is to be recommended as a comprehensive review of the training and management techniques which have been found to be effective in both the acquisition of skills and the control of undesirable behaviours. In addition to the descriptions of specific methods, there are also clear and practically useful discussions of the rationale for treatments, evaluation of effectiveness and training of parents, teachers and nurses. Useful reading as an introductory text and also with postgraduates, but there are obvious advantages in ensuring that readers have had some contact with mentally handicapped individuals before they read this book.
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© 1981 The British Psychological Society
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Griffiths, D. (1981). Mental Handicap. In: Psychology and Medicine. Psychology for Professional Groups. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-16594-0_20
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-16594-0_20
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
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