CHAPTER I

CHAPTER: I

INTRODUCTION

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Mental retardation has been known for centuries and different terms have been

used to explain it. Early in the twentieth century, the terms moron, imbecile, and idiot

explained the three levels of retardation. During the 1940s the term feeble-minded

was used. In recent years terms like 'mental subnormality' and 'developmental

disability' are being used.

Until the twentieth century, retardation was defined in terms of an individual's

inability to meet the minimal demands of society. In 1905, Alfred Binet developed a

method of identifying students who could be expected to fail in the regular school

curriculum and who therefore required a special instructional programme, which was

translated and used m the USA by Henry Herbert Goddard. Terman's 1916 edition of

the Standord Binet Intelligence Scale identifying retarded children. IQ became a

standard for classification of mental retardation. However, David Wechsler, who

devised a series of intelligence tests, warned against the rigid use of intelligence test

scores as the sole criterion for diagnosing retardation.

According to the British Mental Deficiency Act of 1921 (amended in 1927),

Mental defectiveness means a condition of arrested or incomplete development of

mind existing before the age of eighteen years, whether arising from inherent causes

or induced by disease or injury'. According to this enactment persons were classified

into four categories of mental defect: (a) Idiot, (b) Imbecile, (c) Feeble-minded, and

(d) Moral defective.

Tredgold (1937) regarded mental deficiency as a state of in complete mental

development of such a kind and degree that the individual is incapable of adapting

himself to the.normal environment of his fellows in such a way as to maintain

existence independent of supervision, control or external support. He rejected the

educational and intellectual criteria and advocated the use of biological and social

criteria, the social adaptability of the individual.

Benda (1952) stated a mentally deficient person is a person who is incapable

of managing himself and his affairs, or being taught to do so and who requires

supervision, control and care for his own welfare and the welfare of the community.

Corbett (1977) defined mental handicap as that condition where intellectual deficit is

associated with social, physical or psychiatric handicap, and requires special services

or treatment.

Definitions based on test scores have also been proposed by psychologists. In

1916 Terman outlined a scheme to group individuals on the basis of the IQs obtained

on the 1916 Stanford- Binet Test. Wechsler has also suggested a similar

categorization..

Wallin (1949) indicated that the mentally retarded individual is one who on

standardized tests fails to attain a 10 or MA of a particular level. According to Spitz

(1963) Mental retardation is a condition of retarded mental development as

determined by a 10 below 70 on a standardized individual intelligence test.

Clarke and Clarke (1974) have presented a schematic chart which identifies

subnormality in relation to the level of ability and in terms of its causes. This implies

that as one descends the 10 scale, the greater is the probability that a given condition

is pathological in nature.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee (1968) reported

different grades of retardation in conjunction with social factors and has provided a

classification scheme of mental retardation in terms of the ranges mild, moderate,

severe and pro found categories of retardation. It was, however, pointed out that these

categories tend to overlap and should not be treated as the sole criteria, for IQ is not a

magic number and IQ scores are often affected by non-intellectual factors, even

though the concept has a great deal of psychological relevance. But this scheme does

serve some useful purpose as a diagnostic and prognostic guide.

The Commission of Inquiry on Mental Handicap (1965), Dublin, based on the

WHO proposals for the eighth revision of the International Classification of Diseases,

defines mentally handicapped as those who by reason of arrested or incomplete

development of the mind , have a marked lack of intelligence and either temporary or

permanently, inadequate adaptation to their environment.

The International Classification of Diseases, Eighth Revision (ICD-8) and the

DSM-II are adapted from the International Classification of Diseases (WHO 1968)

and are almost identical. In general, both systems define mental retardation as

subnormal intellectual functioning associated with impairments in learning, social

adjustments and motivations (Davison and Neale, 1974). The main focus is on the

identification and classification of etiological factors. According to the ICD-9, mental

retardation is a .condition of arrested or incomplete development of the mind which is

especially characterized by subnormality of intelligence.

The American Association on Mental Deficiency (AAMD) in its 1973 revision

of the classification system of mental deficiency has defined it as significantly sub

average general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive

behavior and manifested during the developmental period. This definition

incorporates two perspectives medical and behavioral.

The AAMD classifications are contained in a detailed manual (Grossman,

1973), which provides a list of principles to assist in the interpretation. Intellectual

functioning is to be measured by a standardized objective test, while sub-average has

a reference to performance which is more than two SD below the population mean.

The developmental period refers to the first 18 years of life. Adaptive behavior is

defined as the effectiveness with which the individual meets the standards of personal

independence and social responsibility expected of his age and cultural group. These

are assessed in terms of maturation, learning and social adjustment, each of which

assumes differing degrees of importance at different ages and stages of development.

According to the AAMD manual, a person must be deficient both in measured

intelligence and adaptive Behavior to be labeled mentally retarded.

1.1 CONCEPT OF MENTAL RETARDATION

It has been difficult for professionals to formulate definitions of mental

retardation that could then be used to govern practices such as assessment and

placement. Mental retardation has been most often characterized by two dimensions;

(a) limited intellectual ability and (b) difficulty in coping with the social demands of

the environment. Thus, all individuals with mental retardation must by definition,

demonstrate some degree of impaired mental abilities, most often reflected in an

intelligence quotient (IQ) significantly below average, which necessarily relates to a

mental age (MA) appreciably lower than the individual's chronological age (CA). In

addition, these individuals would necessarily demonstrate less mature adaptive skills,

such as social behavior or fimctional academic skills, when compared to their same

age peers. For individuals with mild disabilities, this discrepancy can be relatively

subtle and not be readily apparent in a casual interaction in a nonschool setting. These

individuals may be challenged most dramatically by the school setting, and thus

between the age of 6 and 21 their inability to cope may be most evident for example.

in problems with peer relationships, difficulty in compliance with adult-initiated

directions, or academic challenges.

Although discussed as a comprehensive disability, mental retardation has been

typically defined, and diagnosed, as reflecting limitations in two dimensions:

intellectual functioning and adaptive skills. The more contemporary perspective of

Greenspan and Driscoll further develops this definition giving it a new slant. They

indicate considerations that influence personal competence. They view retardation

specifically as a limitation in intellectual competence, broadly defined (i.e., social,

practical, and conceptual intelligence) Greenspan (1996) views mental retardation

primarily as a problem in "every day intelligence"; thus persons with retardation can

be viewed as those who are challenged by adapting to the demands of daily life in the

community.

1983 AAMD DEFINITION

The American Association on Mental Deficiency (AAMD) (Grossman, 1983)

concerned itself for decades with developing and revising the definition of mental

retardation. This organization's efforts are broadly recognized, and t definitions have

often been incorporated, with modifications, into state and federal statutes. Although

usage in the states in terms of educational regulations and practice has been uneven

(Frankenberger & Harper, 1988), the AAA definitions frequently are considered the

basis for diagnosis in the field. Grossman (1983) presents the AAMD definition as

follows:

"Mental retardation refers to significantly sub average general

intellectual functioning resulting in or associated with concurrent impairments

in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period."

Three concepts are central to this definition: intellectual functioning, adaptive

behavior, and the developmental period.

Intellectual functioning is intended as a broad summation of cognitive

abilities, such as the capacity to learn, solve problems, accumulate knowledge adapt

to new situations, and think abstractly. Operationally, however, it generally been

reduced to performance on a test of intelligence. "Significantly below average" is

defined in the 1983 AAMD definition as below a flexible upper range of 70 to 75.

It is worth considering how an IQ score relates to this first criterion for

diagnosis. Since an IQ of 100 is the mean score on such tests, a person receiving a

score of 100 is considered to have an average level of cognitive functioning

Based on statistical analysis, approximately 2.3% of IQs would be expected to

lie below 70 and a like percentage above 130. Thus, to limit the diagnosis of mental

retardation to persons with IQs of 70 to 75 or below is to suggest that, hypothetically,

about 3%-5% of the tested population may have significantly subaverage general

intellectual functioning. However, as the definition clearly states, low IQ scores alone

are not sufficient for diagnosis. Hence, we must next consider the adaptive dimension.

An individual's adaptive behavior represents the degree to which the

individual meets the standards of maturation, learning, personal independence, and/or

social responsibility that are expected for his or her age level and cultural group"

(Grossman, 1983, p. II). Continuing with this concept, Grossman (1983) emphasizes

the idea of coping:

Adaptive behavior refers to the quality of everyday performance in

coping with environmental demands. The quality of general adaptation is

mediated by level of intelligence; thus, the two concepts overlap in meaning. It is

evident, however, from consideration of the definition of adaptive behavior, with

its stress on everyday coping that adaptive behavior refers to what people do to

take care of themselves and to relate to others in daily living rather than the

abstract potential implied by intelligence.

Particularly important to the concept of adaptive behavior are the skills

necessary to function independently in a range of situations and to maintain

responsible social relationships.

The third component of the definition is the developmental period. It is

typically defined as the period of time between conception and 18 years of age

(i.e., typical time for high school completion). Below-average intellectual functioning

and disabilities' in adaptive behavior must appear during this period in order for an

individual to be considered mentally retarded.

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AAMR DEFINITION, 1992

The American Association on Mental Deficiency changed its name to the

American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR), but continued to be the

leading professional organization in developing definitions of mental retardation. In

1992, the AAMR revised its definition in order to bring it into line with recent

developments and thus reflect changes in current thinking about persons with mental

retardation. According to Luckasson et. al.

'̂ Mental retardation refers to substantial limitations in present

functioning. It is manifested by significantly sub average intellectual functioning,

existing concurrently with related limitations in two or more of the following

applicable adaptive skill areas: communication, self care, home living, social

skills, community use, self direction, health and safety, functional academics,

leisure, and work. Mental retardation begins before age 18."

AAMR DEFINITION, 2002

The released 10th edition of Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification,

and Systems of Supports discusses the 2002 AAMR definition and classification

system in great detail. It presents the latest thinking about mental retardation and

includes important tools and strategies to determine if an individual has mental

retardation along with detailed information about developing a personal plan of

individualized supports.

''Mental retardation is a disability characterized by significant limitations

both in intellectual fiinctioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in

conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. This disability originates before

the age of 18. A complete and accurate understanding of mental retardation

involves realizing that mental retardation refers to a particular state of

functioning that begins in childhood, has many dimensions, and is affected

positively by individualized supports. As a model of functioning, it includes the

contexts and environment within which the person functions and interacts and

requires a multidimensional and ecological approach that reflects the interaction

of the individual with the environment, and the outcomes of that interaction with

regards to independence, relationships, societal contributions, participation in

school and community, and personal well being".

Five Assumptions Essential to the Application of the Definition:

1. Limitations in present functioning must be considered within the context of

community jenvironments typical of the individual's age peers and culture.

2. Valid assessment considers cultural and linguistic diversity as well as differences

in communication, sensory, motor, and behavioral factors.

3. Within an individual, limitations often coexist with strengths

4. An important purpose of describing limitations is to develop a profile of needed

supports.

5. With appropriate personalized supports over a sustained period, the life

fimctioning of the person with mental retardation generally will improve.

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1.2 LEVELS OF MENTAL RETARDATION

Mental retardation exists at different levels of severity that is, while some

individuals possess mental retardation at mild level (i.e., possess mild intellectual and

adaptive behavior deficits), others possess mental retardation at more severe level.

The AAMD has identified four levels of mental retardation ranging from mild to

profound [Grossman, 1983].

Table-Ll Levels of Retardation as a measure of IQ range as obtained from the

AAMD classification scale [1983].

Retardation Level

Mild

Moderate

Severe

Profound

IQ Level

50-55 to 75

20-25 to 35-40

20-25 to 35-40

Below 20 or 25

Mildly Retarded or Educable Mentally Retarded:

The highest level or the least retarded are the mildly retarded or educable

mentally retarded. These children display delays of only 1 to 3 years in school

performance and, thus, are capable of learning fundamental academics and personal

responsibility. Given this minimal delay, these children are able to function within the

traditional grade level curriculum with only minor modifications or assistance. As

adults, they should be self-sufficient and live independently as productive members of

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the community. Until the 1970s, these children were automatically placed in self-

contained special education classes; however, judicial decisions (e.g., LeBanks v.

Spearsy and legislation (PL 94-142) have required placement in the "least restrictive

educational alternative" appropriate to meeting the educational needs of each-child. In

schools, this has meant implementation of mainstreaming, which has revised the

traditional system of service delivery. Most mildly retarded children are now placed

within regular classes, and special education support services are provided to maintain

reasonable academic and social progress (Ingalls, 1978; MacMillan, 1971, 1977).

Moderately retarded:

The second level of retardation includes the moderately retarded or trainable

mentally retarded. These children, with a functioning ability approximately one- half

to one-third that expected for their chronological age, are able to master self-care

skills, basic language, and cognitive concepts to include ftinctional academics. As

adults, with minimal supervision, they will be able to live in community homes and

work within supervised workshop facilities. Traditionally, these children have been

educated within segregated schools, training centers, or private facilities. Currently, to

meet the goal of placement in the "least restrictive educational alternative," classes for

the trainable retarded are being integrated into regular public school campuses.

Severely mentally retarded

The educational emphasis for children who are severely mentally retarded is

on acquisition of self-care, motor, and language skills with emphasis on their ability

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to function effectively in their various environments (e.g. home, school, vocational

placement). Traditionally these children have been housed in state institutions. With

the increasing awareness of the debilitating effects of institutional life and with the

advent of the social philosophy of normalization, these individuals are being moved

from institutions into community group homes to provide them with routines and

experiences of daily living that are representative of normal life styles. As of the 1978

school year, compliance with PL 94-142 requires that classes for the severely retarded

be established within the public school systems (Paul, Stedman, & Neufield, 1977;

Wolfensberger, 1972).

Profoundly Mentally Retarded:

The most involved individuals are those classified as profoundly mentally

retarded. Currently, the majority of these individuals are placed in state institutions.

There is growing concern, however, about whether the tests available can differentiate

between the two lower levels of retardation and whether there is any merit in such

differentiation. It is becoming more apparent that the distinction between the severely

and the profoundly retarded may not rest on IQ scores, but on factors such as

responsiveness to environmental stimulation, the potential for a means of

communicating needs and wants, and the need for continuous medical monitoring.

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Table.l.2.Classification of Mental Retardation:

Medical

1. Infections and

Intoxications.

2. Trauma or physical agent

3. Gross brain disease

4. Unknown parental

influence

5. Chromosomal abnormality

6. Gestational disorder

7. Psychiatric disorder, etc.,

1.

2.

3.

4.

Psychological

Mild-IQ 50-55 to 75

Moderate - IQ 35-49

Severe-IQ 20-34

Profound- IQ below

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Educational

1. Educable

2. Trainable

3. Custodial

1.3 CHARACTERISTICS OF MENTAL RETARDATION

(a) Limited Intelligence

Generally intelligence is defined as the ability to learn useful information and

skills, adapt to new problems and conditions of life, profit fi"om past experiences,

engage in abstract and creative thinking, employ critical judgment, avoid errors,

surmount difficulties and exercise foresight. The mentally retarded persons are

markedly deficient in all these attributes. Their learning capacity is limited. Research

works reveal that the teaching of mental defectives is a slow and tedious process.

Learning depends more on rote memory than on understanding. The errors are

repeated again and again. The brightest among the mentally retarded can be taught to

read and write. The absence of intelligence is relative rather than absolute. As

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revealed earlier, there is no sharp line of demarcation between the average and the

mentally retarded persons. The difference is one of degree. Surveys based on

thousands of individuals have shown that I.Q.'s ranging from 70 to 90 is classified as

dull and individuals with I.Qs under 70 are classified as mentally defective. These

limits are purely arbitrary. The moot point, however, is that neither the mentally

superior nor the mentally defective are special groups sharply separated from average.

IQ = MA/CAxlOO

(b) Social Insufficiency:

Mentally retarded children are incapable of adequate self- care, self-support or self-

management in society. These children also require an undue amount of assistance.

Care is taken to feed and dress them until a late age. Association with younger

children is very much pertinent. But adults are largely dependent upon others for their

economic welfare. In a continuous study, the British Mental Deficiency committee

has found that only 14 per cent of males were almost self- supporting, 46 per cent

were partially self-supporting and the remainder contributed nothing. The degree of

self-support was even lower among female defectives. Later studies in this field

reveal that adult defectives are incapable of handling personal and social affairs with

ordinary prudence. If they are not guided properly, they engage themselves in socially

undesirable behaviour. This type of behaviour includes stealing, general

destructiveness and sex delinquencies.

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Mentally retarded persons have little control over their impulses. Their sense

of right and wrong is poorly developed. Moreover, their behaviour is determined by

the immediate situation. They express their sexual urges freely when stimulated.

These social reactions may be controlled with proper supervision.

Emphasis has been placed on the socio-economic aspects of amentia by

English writers. The 1929 Wood report (37, p. 10) defined mental deficiency as "a

condition of incomplete development of the mind to such a degree or kind as to

render the individual incapable of adjusting himself to his social environment in a

reasonably efficient and harmonious manner and to necessitate external care,

supervision or control".

A special test has been devised by Doll (1935) for measuring social

development. This is popularly known as Vineland Social Maturity Scale. The items

of this test involve concepts like self-help in eating and dressing, locomotion,

occupation, communication, self-direction and socialisation. These are arranged in

age sequence from birth to maturity. By determining a .person's level of performance

on the test, it is possible to obtain his social age. Dividing the social age by the

chronologic age gives a social quotient or SQ, which may be used to supplement the

l.Q in arriving at a diagnosis of mental retardation.

SQ = SA/CA

Where SQ = Social Quotient

SA= Social Age

CA= Chronological Age

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(c) Drives and Emotions

With the degree of mental retardation, the development of drives and emotions

vary. Even the basic self-preservation drives are absent with some of the lowest

grades. External manifestations of hunger or thirst are not prominent and the

individuals make no attempt to avoid injurious stimuli. Their inferior emotional life is

very prominent. Biological drives are well developed at the intermediate level but the

affective life is mainly limited to the simpler emotions of pleasures, fear, anger and

surprise. Most of the studies on mental retardation reveal that these people rarely

experience complex sentiments involving honour, social righteousness and duty.

(d) Personality

We know that no two individuals, in this world, have the same personality. But

in case of mentally retarded people, individual differences appear to be less promipent

than among the general population. Among the retardates, it is rare to find individuals

who might be described as dynamic, chirming, forceful, vicious, obnoxious or

outstanding. Many persons arc colorless and tractable individuals. A group of

defectives can easily be influenced. They also tend to be submissive. The defectives

are stable, apathetic, or unstable and excitable.

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(e) Organismic Inferiority

Mentally retarded persons suffer from general structural and functional

inferiority of the entire organism. They learn to talk and walk at a much later age.

Defective speech and shuffling gait are two very prominent characteristics of these

individuals. In comparison to normal persons, their sensory discrimination is less

acute. The defectives are relatively insensitive to pain and their auditory and visual

defects are common. Normal performance is very rare among mental defectives and

they fall short of normal performance on tests of mechanical ability

1.4 CHARACTERISTICS OF EMR CHILDREN:

It is difficult to list characteristics found in all educable mentally retarded or

mentally handicapped children. Information concerning physical, intellectual and

emotional aspects of educable mentally retarded children and adults is scarce.

Nevertheless, a teacher should keep the following in identifying or teaching the

educable mentally retarded (Kirk S.A. Early Education of Mentally Retarded, 1958).

1. Physical Characteristics:

a) In height, weight and motor coordination most educable mentally retarded

children approximate normal children.

b) Because a small number have organic causes for the retardation, such as brain

injury, these few are likely to be physically inferior to normal children.

c) More handicaps or vision, hearing and motor coordination are found among the

educable mentally retarded. However, a substantial number do not have such

defects.

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d) Many retarded children come from substandard homes which are generally

inferior in sanitation and attention to health matters.

2. Intellectual Characteristics:

a) The mentally retarded child shows low performance on verbal and non-verbal

intelligence tests. His I.Q. will be in the range from 50 to 55 to 75 to 80. This

implies a rate of mental development approximately one-half to three-fourth that

of an average child.

b) Retarded mental development may include slowness in maturation of specific

intellectual functions needed for school work such as being significantly low in

money for auditory and visual materials, generalizing ability, language ability,

conceptual and perceptual abilities, imagination and creative abilities and other

functions considered basically intellectual.

3. Academic Characteristics:

a) The educable mentally retarded child is not ready for reading, writing, spelling

and arithmetic when he enters school at the age of 6. He does not acquire these

skills until he is about 8 years old or even; perhaps until he is 11. This delay in

learning is related to mental age, not to chronological age.

b) The rate at which the child progresses in school is comparable to his rate of

mental development, i.e., about child. He should not be expected to cover a year's

material in a year's time as to average children.

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c) At the end of his formal school career his academic achievement will probably

have reached 2nd to 6th grade level, depending upon his mental maturation. 4.

4. Personal and Social Characteristics:

There are no basic social traits which differentiate the educable mentally

retarded from the average child. These social characteristics are by-products of the

difference between the expectancies of society and the ability of the mentally retarded

to cope with the requirements:

a) Short attention span or lack of concentration and participation of the mentally

retarded child in a regular classroom is often ingenerated by expecting him to

respond like other children to materials he can not learn or understand in

classroom situation. This characteristic, quite prevalent when retarded children are

in the regular grades, tends to disappear when materials and methods are geared to

ability to succeed.

b) Low frustration tolerance has been ascribed to the mentally retarded. It is also

related to repeated failure experience in life and in school since the child is

expected to function according to his chronological age tolerance for frustration

can be increased by a home or school environment which will avoid failure and

substitute success experience.

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c) Social values and attitudes generally correspond to those of the home and

neighborhood associates and are in many instances, typical of low socio-economic

areas and areas of substandard housing.

d) The retarded child's play interests correspond more closely to those of children of

his own mental age than of similar chronological ages.

e) There are more behavior problem and there is slightly more delinquency among

the retarded in proportion to their numbers than among children of average

intelligence. This may be partially the result of the substandard environment in

which a large percentage of these children live.

5. Occupational Characteristics

a) The educable mentally retarded can learn to do skilled and semi-skilled work at

the adult level.

b) Their success in unskilled occupational tasks is generally related to personality,

social and interpersonal characteristics rather than to the ability to execute the task

assigned.

c) Employment records of the educable mentally retarded show that approximately

80% eventually adjust to occupation of unskilled or semi-skilled nature and

partially or totally support themselves.

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PREVALANCE OF MENTAL RETARDATION IN INDIA:

On the average 2.5% of all children are mild and moderately retarded and

0.5% are severely retarded. There has been no systematic National Survey conducted

to determine the prevalence of mental retardation in India. It has been estimated

however that there are about 20 million persons who are mildly retarded and about

four million persons who arc moderately and severely retarded. The figures of

prevalence of mental retardation in India vary from 0.22 to 32.8 per thousand

population. Family density and retardation had high association. Those bom to

mothers below 19 years of age had more chances of being retarded, hi rural areas

incidence of retardation is more. Within 0-14 age group the NSSO 1991 states that in

rural areas the incidence of MR is 3.1% and in urban it is 0.9%. The NIMH mentions

2% of general population as MR, three quarters of them. Mildly so, and one fourth

severe. There are over 600 schools for the mentally retarded, unevenly distributed

among the States. Based on Census report 2001, the population of mental retarded

persons in India is 2, 263,821 including 1,354,653 males and 909,166 females

CAUSES OF MENTAL RETARDATION

Intellectual impairment is more an effect rather than the cause of a condition.

There are many conditions in children that are associated witli deficits in intellectual

functioning. Soine of the common causes are:

• Genetic conditions - some genetic or chromosomal abnonnallties like Down's

syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Klinefeher's syndrome, phenylketonuria, cri-du-

22

chat syndrome are some of the disorders in which the child is intellectually

impaired.

• Problems during birth - there may be damage to the child's brain during childbirth

which may cause impairment of intellectual functioning. Premature babies and

those bom with a low birth weight are more susceptible than full term infants. The

brain may be affected if the child has been deprived of oxygen during birth.

• Childhood diseases - many diseases that the child may contract during childhood

may affect brain functioning. Diseases like meningitis, high fevers, epilepsy,

encephalitis etc. may cause retardation. Autism is most often associated with some

degree of mental retardation.

• During pregnancy, excessive intake of alcohol by the mother, smoking or diseases

like rubella and syphilis predispose the child to intellectual impairment.

• Cultural deprivation - children from poor families or those that have been raised

in relative isolation are more prone to have deficits in functioning. Also children

who have had difficult childhoods develop mental disorders which may be

associated with mental retardation. Under stimulation of intellect during childhood

may be another cause.

PREVENTIVE MEASURE:

It follows from the causes that certain preventive measures can be taken. These are:

1. Early screening and detection.

2. Vaccination against rubella.

3. Surgical procedure to correct hydrocephaly.

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4. Amniocentosis to detect chromosomal aberrations in the foetus i.e„ blood

examination.

5. Use of drugs to control the effect of childhood illness. Urine test for metabolic

disorders: PKU, Galactosemia.

6. Blood transfusion of Rh-factor babies and vaccination of Rh-sensitised mothers.

7. Laws that prohibit the use of lead based paint on baby toys and furniture. 8.

Dietary treatment of PKU and galactosemia.

8. Improved maternal nutrition and parental health care.

9. Genetic counselling for persons who are carriers of potential genetic defects.

10. Enrichment of impoverished environments.

11. Dermatoglyphics.

12. Serological and Viral tests for intra uterine infection.

13. X-ray of the skull and EEG.

14. Examination of the cerebrospinal fluid.

15. Chromosomal studies for detecting anomalies.

1.5 TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR IDENTIFICATION AND DIAGNOSIS OF MENTAL RETARDATION CHILDREN

Identification:

Educable mentally retarded children are usually not identified before reaching

school age. Although a potentially mildly retarded child may have problems in

communication, physical development, and socialization during the pre school years,

differences tend to be moderate and may not cause undue concern until the child

begins formal schooling. Up to this point, such children may have been able to

24

function marginally at home or in their neighborhoods; however, school is a more

complex social academic environment that demands increasingly more of children

over the years. A child with an I.Q. of 70 may not be ready to begin reading until he

or she is eight years old and in the third grade, whereas non-retarded classmates will

have been reading for some time.

Although early school identification is essential to prevent additional

problems, the mildly retarded child frequently is not identified until he or she has

spent one or more years in the regular classroom. Even though elementary teachers

are increasingly prepared to identify mildly retarded children in the early grades,

some children eventually classified as mildly mentally retarded may go unrecognised

in regular' classes, competing with normal peers until their learning problems become

too severe or their frustration eventually becomes too obvious for the teacher to

ignore. At that point, the teacher seeks help, and the child usually is referred for

evaluation by a school psychologist or other members of a special education

admission team

Behavioral Signs:

Certain behavioral signs give an indication of the presence of mental retardation

among children. These can be observed by teachers and parents.

1. General academic retardation characterized by slow rate of learning poor problem

solving skills, slow reaction to environmental demands.

2. Poor memory. Inability to retain things mentally for long periods.

3. Difficulty in developing concepts, especially abstract concepts. Absence of clarity.

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4. Inability to arrive at generalisations and see common elements among different

objects or events.

5. Slow language development-usually the language is limited in terms o vocabulary

and variety.

6. Below average in imagination and creative thinking.

7. Inability to delay gratification and satisfaction by immediate reward.

8. Short attention span and intolerance of frustration.

9. Limited play and social interests.

10. Lack of concentration, heightened distractibility and incapacity for

comprehension.

11. Lack of coordination in self-help skills (sucking, chewing, eating, use o hands,

legs, fingers, etc.).

12. Some have physical features like a small or large head. Small eyes straight hair,

fissured tongue, low set ears, and short stature, physical deformities and paralysis

of one or more limbs.

13. In case of school going children there are repeated failures and inability to cope

with the lessons.

Testing:

Tesfing for the mentally retarded, assessment includes basically intelligence

and adaptive behaviour along with developmental material supplied by parents,

teachers, social workers and professionals. The two most widely used intelligence

tests are: The two most widely used intelligence tests are: The Stanford Binet and

26

the Weschler Intelligence Scale for children. The individual tests along with

functional assessment tests.

Adaptive behaviour is assessed using adaptive behaviour scales. In these

scales, assessment is made on the basis of maturational and developmental skills in

the areas of communication, motor ability and self-help in early childhood. In later

periods, learning and social skills receive greater emphasis. During adolescence,

social and vocational adjustments are emphasised. AAMD adaptive behaviour scale

and the Vineland Social Maturity Scale are quite well known tests of measuring

adaptive behaviour.

TESTS COMMONLY USED FOR MENTALLY RETARDED PERSION

The following some of Psychological tests are widely used in India context for

identifying mentally retarded children.

Developmental Schedule:

(a) Bayley infant scales

(b) Gasell's developmental schedule

(c) NIMH developmental assessment schedule

Verbal Tests:

(a) Binet Kamat Test

(b) Malin's Intelligence scale for Indian children

(c) Binet Shula Tests

27

Non-Verbal Tests:

(a) Developmental Screening Test

(b) Raven's Progressive Matrices - colored

Performance Tests:

(a) Seguin Form Board Test

(b) Gasell's Drawing Test

(c) Draw - A- Man Test

(d) Alexander's Passalong Test

(e) Koh's Block Design Test

Adaptive Behavior Scale:

(a) AAMD adaptive behavior scale

(b)Vineland Social Maturity Scale

Test for Specific Abilities:

(a) BASIC - MR

(b) Bender Gestal Test, Benton Visual Retention Test

PROBLEMS FACED BY CHILDREN WITH EMR

1. Mildly retarded children (EMR) have poor learning ability and they forget things

quickly and they have slow rate of responding.

2. They are deficient in short term memory and also have rehearsal deficit

28

3. The retardates are found to be sensitive than normal children

4. The mildly retarded children have lack of sustained and analytic attention and

these children have low threshold for failure and they attribute their failure to

external resources.

5. They learn better under conditions of tangible and immediate reward and they do

not have the ability to delay gratification

6. The mildly retarded are more extraverted, very rigid and hostile than normal. They

are more afraid of failure, anxious and withdrawn.

7. The mildly retarded children have a poor self concept and are very impulsive.

They do have an external locus of control.

8. The environment of mildly retarded children are probably malignant in number of

ways, they may be financially and culturally deficient.

9. The mildly retarded children as a group are inferior to children of normal

intelligence and similar chronological age in physical fitness and motor skill

proficiency.

Purposes and Curricular Objectives of Education of the Mentally Retarded

In organizing an educational program for the educable mentally retarded, the

first task is to determine its basic goals. Actually, they do not differ from the general

29

objectives for all children. For example, the Educational Policies Commission has

listed four major objectives of education: (1) self-realization, (2) human relationships,

(3) economic efficiency, and (4) civic responsibility. These apply to the educable

mentally retarded as well as the normal. The chief differences are the addition of

more specific objectives, the limits which the educability of these children imposes on

the attainment of the objectives, and the adaptations in instruction needed to attain the

more limited objectives.

Samuel A. Kirk and Orville Johnson. Educating the Retarded Child (Boston:

Houghton Mifflin Company, 1951), p. 11 has listed the purpose of a programme for

the educable mentally retarded:

1. They should be educated to get along with their fellow men; i.e., they should

develop social competence through numerous social experiences.

2. They should learn to participate in work for the purpose of earning their own

living; i.e., they should develop occupational competence through efficient

vocational guidance and training as a part of their school experience.

3. They should develop emotional security and independence in the school and in

the home through a good mental hygiene program.

4. They should develop habits of health and sanitation through a good program of

health education.

30

5. They should learn the minimum essentials of the tool subjects, even though their

academic limits are third to fifth grade.

6. They should learn to occupy themselves in wholesome leisure time activities

through an educational program that teaches them to enjoy recreational and leisure

time activities.

7. They should learn to become adequate members of a family and a home through

an educational program that emphasizes home membership as a function of the

curriculum.

8. They should learn to become adequate members of a community through a school

program that emphasizes community participation-

Stated in different words and in broader concepts, the program should stress

the development of (1) social competence, (2) personal adequacy, and (3)

occupational competence. Social competence refers primarily to the ability of the

individual to get along with his fellow men, that is, his family, his school and

neighborhood mates, and other members of the community. Personal adequacy refers

to his ability to live with himself in some sort of equilibrium. Occupational

competence refers to his ability to support himself partially or totally in some

productive activity.

Goldstein and Seigle, (A curricular Guide for Teachers of the Educable

Mentally Handicapped, 1958) have compiled a curriculum guide utilizing multi-

31

dimensional objectives. They have delineated ten life functions, which persist

throughout the life of the individual: (1) citizenship, (2) communicating, (3) home and

family, (4) leisure time, (5) management of materials and money, (6) occupational

adequacy, (7) physical and mental health, (8) safety, (9) social adjustment, and (10)

travel.

Goldstein and Seigle's curriculum guide was further subdivided into the traditional

academic areas of learning: (1) arithmetic, (2) fine arts (3) language arts, (4) physical

education, (5) practical arts, (6) science, and (7) social relationships.

The third phase of the curriculum guide divides the traditional learning into

developmental sequences for (1) the primary class, (2) the intermediate class, and (3)

the advanced or secondary class. By (1) defining life functions, (2) delineating the

necessary academic learning for the educable mentally retarded, and (3) listing the

specific activities on a sequential and developmental level, Goldstein and Seigle have

produced a guide from which a teacher can organize her own course of study.

1.6 PLANNING REMEDIAL IN EVS -II (SCIENCE) FOR EMR CHILDREN

Social studies and Science are two curricular areas not usually emphasized by

teachers of mildly mentally retarded students (Kellar 1983; Davies & Ball 1978)

because the following beliefs were preconceived.

32

• Mentally retarded learners cannot adequately learn social studies and sciences

material. The subject mater in these curricular areas is simply too abstract and

difficulty for such pupils master.

• Mentally retarded learners are too cognitively unsophisticated to appropriately use

and understand social science tools and science equipments

Stereotypic beliefs regarding the science curriculum might be along the lines

of traditional lab type experiments where students would conduct formalized

scientific experiments by following a step-by-step procedure (much like the

experiments included in commercially available sets). In such a curriculum, there

would be little or no spontaneity in science curriculum or activities nor there a large

measure of understanding by the students as to the underlying scientific principles

upon which the experiments were based. This type of social studies and science

curriculum would probably hold little or no relevance to the most mildly mentally

retarded students (Keller 1983). Unfortunately, many of the social studies and science

programs have been trivial and relatively meaningless to the lives of students. At the

same time, many instructional methods and materials used to teach science and social

studies to special- needs learners have been too abstract, symbolic, and complicated

(Barr, Barth & Shermis 1978).

Fortunately, in India the MLL in social studies and science curriculum and

instruction is undergoing drastic changes at Primary School level.. As more attention

33

is given to day to day life concepts, educators have come to realize that the ability to

solve problems and use existing technology (science) as well as to function as a

valued community member (social studies) is important and vital.

Modification of the science curriculums and instruction; methods to meet the

needs of exceptional students has shown many of them about mentally retarded

students' ability to handle social studies and science subject matter to be untrue, for

example, a variety of special educators found that mentally retarded learners are quite

capable of learning science concepts (Corrick 1981; Keller 1983, Welliver 1980) and

of applying what have learned to solving real-life problems (Corrick 1981).

1.7 RELEVANCY OF THE SCIENCE CURRICULUM

As in the other academic subject areas, the key concept in a science curriculum

appropriate for mildly mentally retarded pupils is relevancy. This means' what is

taught in science must have a direct relationship to the lives of students out of school

especially as it relates to the normalization process. Science instruction probably

should provide students with little useful information according to their capacity and

needs.Grant (1975) has asserted that a sound science curriculum for mentally retarded

should contain the following goals:

1. It should demonstrate to the student that an individual can degree of control over

the immediate environment.

34

2. It should foster a pattern of success in pupils.

3. It should demonstrate that science can be a lifelong and endeavor that can be

utilized in real-life situations and can be leisure activity or result in a career.

4. It should help foster empathy for living things among pupils.

5. It should help the child develop a sense of responsibility for the environment

actions designed to improve and protect it.

1.8 STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING SCIENCE TO MR CHILDREN

In order to increase the relevancy of the science curriculum and make it more

lifelike to Educable Mentally Retarded children, Welliver (1980) has suggested some

strategies. These include

1. Emphasize inquiry and process: Allow for individual and small-group

science learning. Try to avoid large-group demonstration science projects where the

teacher does all the talking and demonstrating while students are reduced to passive

observers. Allow each child to investigate and explore a particular question, problem,

or phenomenon, making sure that these science questions are at the ability and interest

level of each student. From time to time, allow students to pool their talents in small-

group activities and problems. As much as possible, allow students in the group to

find answers to problems themselves, offering your help and expertise only when the

group reaches an impasse in the problem- solving process.

2. Use simple materials: Try to use materials in science lessons that can be

found in the child's immediate environment and which are familiar to the child. Paper

35

towels, wax paper, foil, cardboard, candles, paper cups, styrofoam, and hundreds of

other commonly found and inexpensive materials may be used in science lessons; the

special education teacher is limited only by his or her imagination and creativity. The

key is to look at these common objects in a new light so that aluminum foil, for

example, is no longer just a vehicle for wrapping food but now becomes a vehicle for

teaching science. The key problem then becomes finding ways that common

household objects can be aids to scientific inquiry by students. Students will not need

expensive scientific laboratory equip- ment in order to benefit from the science

curriculum. In fact such sophisticated equipment may actually intimidate students and

inhibit the science inquiry process. Figure 10.7 contains a list of commonly found

materials that may be used in the science curriculum while Figure 10.8 contains a

short listing of resources that outline interesting and relevant science activifies using

commonly found materials.

3. De-emphasize factual content. The teacher should try to avoid situations

where students are overwhelmed with a large body of scientific information that must

be presented and mastered before the students can engage in science activities.

4. The multi sensory approach: Mai one and DeLucchi (1980) have

expanded upon the work of Welliver (1980) in advocating a multisensory rather than

a unisensory approach to the science curriculum for mentally retarded learners. In the

multisensory approach, a maximum amount of sensory input is used with a variety of

concrete, experimental, hands-on activities. Additionally, a multimodal approach is

36

taken in which; many sense modalities as possible are used in presenting material to

be learned.

This multisensory approach to teaching science contains three main processes:

content accessibility, process accessibility, and access to manipulation. Content

accessibility refers to experiences for pupils that are concrete an experiential rather

than abstract and theoretical. Activities and investigations are constructed in such a

way that students discover information and scientific relationships for themselves

rather than being told what is happening by the teacher. Concepts are developed

through experience rather than by verbal transmission from teacher to student. In

addition, verbalization through reading or lecturing is kept to a minimum while other

modalities such as vision, the kinesthetic modality, taste, and smell are utilized,

preferably in modality combination. For example, rather than lecture students on how

plants grow and have students memorize large amounts of content material, the

teacher could construct activities where students manipulate seeds and observe the

plant germination and growth process, investigating by feel, smell, sight, even taste,

different seeds and their resulting plants. Scientific content would not even be

discussed to any great length until after the experiment was completed and the

students had discovered relationships about seed growth. Content would then be

discussed not as some abstract process but as a set of experiences which had occurred

for students as a result of concrete, hands-on activities of investigation.

37

PRINCIPLES INVOLVED IN ORGANISING REMEDIAL PROGRAMME

The educable mentally retarded children develop relatively but substantially

below the normal in many areas including in the environmental studies. So there

should be special provision for remedial teaching with following considerations.

1. Assessment:

The mentally retarded children must have a special diagnosis including medical,

social psychological and educational evaluations before starting the remedial

teaching. It should be made on periodic basis.

2. Special Materials:

Educable mentally retarded children need the help of special materials. The school

plant, physical size of the classroom etc. are not different from regular system. But

the instrumental materials must be different and also reading book, a methodology

should differ according to their ability.

3. Special Learning Principle:

(a) Principle of simple, complex, (b) Principle of known to unknown, (c) Principle of

use to disuse, (d) Principle of repetition, (e) Principle of reinforcement and reward.

4. Systematic Instruction: Educable mentally retarded children lack a high level of

generalisation and usually unable to learn material incidentally without instruction as

the average children do. Thus learning materials should be presented to the educable

mentally retarded in sequential order following systematic and hierarchical procedure

38

5. Individualized Instruction:

Instructions of teaching materials should be based on the principle of self

placing. It should be the educational ability of the child and then match the learning

materials with that ability. They can learn better if teaching is adapted to the needs of

these children.

6. Success and Experience :

Experience of Success should be encouraged and failure should be avoided by a

special programme initiated by teachers.

a) Capable of learning, self car tasks (such as dressing, eating, toileting) and

capable of learning to protect himself from common dangers in the home, school

or neighborhood.

b) Capable of learning social adjustment—in the home or neighborhood and

learning to how...respect property, rights and cooperate in family and with

neighbors

c) Equality of Opportunity—the fate of a retarded child in the class of normal

children is very pathetic. He is usually senior-most in age but junior-most in

scholastic achievement forced to keep pace with other children for superior to him

mentally, he usually finds it exceedingly hard to make even the minimum amount

of progress expected of children of his age. The principle of equality of

opportunity in his case obviously demands that the teacher should pay him special

39

and individualized attention. Simple instruction and sympathetic guidance is liable

to stimulate him to make an effort for some sort of a progress and achievement.

d) Learning by Doing—mentally handicapped individuals find it difficult to follow

abstract instructions. Their faculties are not so developed as to comprehend the

abstract phenomena. They learn best through handling the concrete materials or

doing the actual work. Therefore the teacher should use practice as the technique

for educating the mentally retarded children. During the process of learning by

doing, the sense of training becomes an important aspect of education of such

children perceptual knowledge and self training add precision to the knowledge

already acquired, and improve and enrich the verbal expression

e) Correlation between Subjects: Different subjects have a tendency to group

together around one common theme. Correlation makes the content of subject

more meaningful and understandable for children. It strengthens the associations

of ideas and thus makes learning easier for children. Correlation is an important

educational method for the children but it is more so for the mentally retarded.

f) Drill and the Education of the Mentally Retarded: Mentally retarded

individuals find it difficult to grasp the material presented to them in a single

repetition. The same material needs to be repeated over and over again for them to

help them comprehend the matter. Also, it is difficult for such children to

remember instructions for two-three activities given at once.

40

1.9 STATUS OF RESEARCH IN MENTAL RETARDATION

A federally funded research integration project conducted thorough reviews of

theory, research, and practice concerning the education of mildly handicapped

students, including students classified as mildly mentally retarded. These reviews

reached similar conclusions across a number of areas of exceptionality. In general, the

conclusions were: (1) too much emphasis is placed on attempts to classify children

according to underlying internal traits; (2) greater emphasis needs to be devoted to

developing a wide range of alternatives for students with learning or behavioral

problems; and (3) these alternatives-need to be provided within regular education to

the greatest extent possible (Wang, Reynolds. & Walberg, 1987-1989). The results of

the research integration project were part of the basis for the development of the

"regular education initiative in the Federal Office of Special Education and

Rehabilitation Services (Will. 1986). The dynamics of current changes in special

education are diverse and broad. They include federal court opinions, a major report

by the most prestigious scientific organization in the United Slates, policy statements

by professional associations and advocacy groups, and a major synthesis of theory,

research, and practice recommending changes in federal policy.

Persistent Themes and Unresolved Issues

A number of fundamental issues in research and delivery of services reflect

long-term debates and enduring concerns. On many of these issues there are sharp

disagreements. These issues deal with fundamental questions such as: Who is

properly classified as mildly mentally retarded? Why do persons develop the mild

41

mental retardation handicap? Can mild mental retardation be prevented or remedied

through early interventions? And what services are needed by persons classified as

mildly mentally retarded?

Fundamental Cognitive Processes

A theme closely related to prevention and remediation is research on the

fundamental cognitive processes associated with mild mental retardation. Kramer et

al. (1988) provided a review of the literature on basic learning and information

processing characteristics of students classified as mildly mentally retarded. They,

along with Campione, Brown, and Ferrara (1982), have identified basic differences

between mildly mentally retarded and normal students. These differences have to do

with efficiency of information processing, the fund of knowledge brought to a

problem-solving situation, the use of problem-solving strategies, and ability to

exercise deliberate control over learning, memory, and problem-solving processes

(called metacognition). The critical and still-unsolved problems in cognitive training

of mildly mentally retarded students involve the more complex rather than the simple

cognitive processes. Although considerable advances have been achieved

demonstrating that mildly mentally retarded students can be taught by selection of

appropriate strategies.

Deno, 1985; Shaprio & Lentz 1985: Shinn, Tindal,Spira & Marston have done

longitude research and provided empirical evidence to guide crucial decisions in the

42

area of educational programming for mildly mentally retarded students particularly at

the elementary level.

Social Competence: Assessment and Interventions

The relevant knowledge and the useful technology concerning assessment and

development of effective social competence interventions have improved at a rapid

pace over the past decade (Cartledge & Milburn. 1985: Gresham. 1982, 1983, 1988:

Gresham. Elliott. & Black. 1987: Gresham & Reschly, in press; Goldstein, Sprafkin.

Gershaw. & Klein. 1980: McGinnis & Goldstein, 1984: Stephens. 1987: Walker et al:

1983). These advances will be useful with nearly all students classified now as mildly

handicapped, especially mildly mentally retarded students.

1.10 CONTEXT NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

The NCERT initiated the latest venture of developing a new curriculum frame

work in 1999 and had brought out the National Curriculum Framework for School

Education, 2000, in which one of the major co curricular concerns is providing

education for cohesive society so that equality of opportunity and access to quality of

education to various group including learning with special needs is ensured, and this

venture also stated that learners with special needs will have to be brought into the

mainstream in inclusive schools where learner centered teaching, group learning,

cooperative learning and peer tutoring will be emphasized.

43

Teaching students with mental retardation in an ordinary school is challenging.

It is true that the mentally retarded child fails to make progress at school. However,

they are capable of making progress in normal school. So, the school must provide

such an instructional planning that will enable them to overcome their difficulties

easily.

The educable mentally retarded children are often found in normal school,

they are capable of learning academic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic. Most

of the children can learn vocational skills. These children may enter school at the

usual age, but formal reading and writing instruction may be delayed until about the

age 8-11 years.

Traditionally, it was believed that mentally retarded are incapable of benefiting

from science instruction but Davies and Ball (1978) have found in an experiment that

mild mentally retarded children can be challenged by natural phenomena in the

environment and can be benefited from the experience of observation, exploration

investigation and problem solving.

Generally instructional objectives of Environment Studies-II (Science) based on

Systematic control over the individual's environment, to apply systematic

investigative techniques to real life situations, and help the students formulate

empathy for all living things in order to develop these science processes and scientific

attitude among the educable mentally retarded learners, the relevant and appropriate

instructional planning or remedial instructional programme is very much essential to

EMR children, as the regular classroom instruction do not meet their special needs. At

44

present the regular classroom teachers are not trying in teaching educable mentally

retarded children and there are no ready-made instructional materials are available. As

it is difficult for some normal children also, the Minimum Levels Learning (MLL) at

the primary stage has been introduced the National Council of Educational Research

and Training (NCERT). The present study also keeping MLL as the goal and the

study is aimed at developing remedial instructional programme to teach

environmental studies-II (science) to educable mentally retarded children in regular

school at primary grade level.

Lll STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The problem is titled as "Development of Remedial Instructional Programme

in Environmental Studies-II (Science) for Educable Mentally Retarded Children".

L12 NATURE AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Nature:

The present study is designed for students studying in primary schools with mild

retardation and remedial instructional programme is planned to develop in

Environmental Studies-II (Science). As per Minimum Levels of Learning (MLL)

guidelines the teaching learning strategies of Environmental Studies in class I & II,

the teacher should develop activities relevant to the needs of the child and local

environment, in class III to IV the Environmental Studies has been visualized in Two

parts, viz. Environmental Studies Part I (Social Science) and Environmental Studies

45

part II (Science). In this present study the Environmental Studies part II i.e. Science

has taken up.

Scope:

The remedial science programme wouid be suitable to the regular school

teachers to teach EMR children in small groups and enable these type of children to a

acquire basics cognitive development in science concept. This study will help the

special educators, regular school teachers, and service providers, care taker and social

workers to plan new programmes and modify existing programme for EMR children

in science based activities. The present study is both exploratory and experimental in

nature.

1.13 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

To develop appropriate remedial instructional programme it was decided to

conduct the study with following objectives:

1. To identify children with mild mental retardation from among students studying in

grades I to IV of primary schools.

2. To construct a diagnostic test in Environmental Studies-II (Science) for the grades

II to IV of primary schools.

3. To analyse the difficulties faced by EMR children in learning Environmental

Studies -II (Science) in regular primary schools

46

4. Planning suitable remedial instructional programme in Environmental Studies -II

(Science) among the children with mild mental retardation/Educable Mentally

Retarded Children.

5. To evaluate the effectiveness of remedial instructional programme in

Environmental Studies-II (Science) developed in the study in improving

understanding and skills of science and application of them in day-to-day life

situations by EMR children.

1.14 HYPOTHESES

This study proposes to verify the following hypothesis.

The remedial instructional programme developed in the study will be effective

in improving understanding and skills of science and application of them in day to

day life situation by EMR children.

1.15 LIMITATION AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

1. There was no standardized diagnostic tool available in Environmental Studies

particularly in Science part for Educable Mentally Retarded in India.

2. No control group was included in the study only pre-test and post test single group

analysis was done.

3. Sample size in the study was only 30 children.

47

1.16 DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS

EMR - Refers to Educable Mentally Retarded, which means the level of Intelligent

Quotient (IQ) ranging from 50-75 on the basis of suitable standardized tests

administered in mother tongue.

EVS - Syllabus prescribed by state and central governments for primary school.

EVS-II refers to Environmental Studies part-II (science)

ECSE - Early Childhood Special Education

Identification - Based on exclusionary criteria

Remediation - through various activities like games, story telling, rhymes,

conversation.

48