SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1981
NEW TECHNIQUE FOR TRAINING SEVERELY
MENTALLY-RETARDED BROUGHT HERE
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A HIGHLY-EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE IN THE TRAINING OF SEVERELY MENTALLY-RETARDED CHILDREN - THE +BEHAVIOUR MOD IF ICATION APPROACH+ - WAS BROUGHT TO HONG KONG THIS WEEK UNDER A TRAINING WORKSHOP BY A BRITISH RESEARCH PSYCHOLOGIST.
MISS JUDITH MCBRIEN, ATTACHED TO THE HESTER ADRIAN RESEARCH CENTRE, A LEADING INSTITUTION IN THE STUDY OF LEARNING PROCESSES
IN THE MENTALLY-HANDICAPPED, WAS INVITED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO TRAIN SIX EDUCATIONISTS FROM THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND AIDED SPECIAL SCHOOLS IN A FIVE-DAY EDUCATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY YOUNG WORKSHOP (EDY) WHICH STARTED ON MONDAY (NOVEMBER 30).
MISS MCBRIEN, A FORMER DIRECTOR OF AN EDY PROJECT IN BRITAIN, SAID RESEARCH ON THE BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION APPROACH WAS STARTED BY MR B.F. SKINNERS IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE 1950'S BUT THE METHOD WAS NOT POPULARISED UNTIL THE EARLY 1970'S.
EXPLAINING THE PRINCIPLES OF THIS APPROACH, MISS MCBRIEN SAID IT INVOLVES DETERMINING RETARDED CHILD'S +BASELINE+ FIRST BY ASKING HIM TO DO A PROGRESSIVELY DIFFICULT SERIES OF TASKS SUCH AS MATCHING TWO CIRCLES AND TWO SQUARES.
→THE CHILD, HOWEVER, WILL NOT BE PUNISHED IF HE SHOULD MAKE A WRONG MOVE. HE WILL BE REWARDED FOR MERELY TRYING JUST TO MAINTAIN HIS INTEREST.+
IT TAKES, HOWEVER, A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF PATIENCE TO FIND OUT WHAT WOULD CONSTITUTE A +REWARD+ FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL CHILD. A RATTLE, FOR INSTANCE, MAY AMUSE ONE WHILE IT WILL ONLY IRRITATE ANOTHER.
THIS +REWARD FOR A CERTAIN CHILD IS DETERMINED THROUGH +SEQUENTIAL SAMPLING+, WHICH INVOLVES THE PRESENTING OF VARIOUS OBJECTS OF POSSIBLE INTEREST TO THE CHILD WHICH MIGHT INCLUDE FOOD, TOYS, MUSIC BOX, AND TINFOIL.
THE OTHER WAY TO FIND THE RIGHT REWARD+ FOR A CHILD IS THROUGH +MULTIPLE CHOICE+, WHICH WOULD ALLOW THE CHILD TO SELECT FROM A WIDE RANGE OF OBJECTS ONE THAT HAS THE GREATEST APPEAL TO HIM.
AFTER A CHILD'S +BASELINE+ OF INTELLIGENCE-CAPABILITY IS ESTABLISHED, THE +REWARD WOULD BE USED TO PROMPT HIM TO DO PROGRESSIVELY-D IFFICULT TASKS.
MISS JOSEPHINE PANG, AN ASSISTANT INSPECTOR AT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND ONE OF THE WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS, SAIDA TASK, HOWEVER, COULD INVOLVE SEVERAL STEPS. TAKE, FOR INSTANCE, THE SIMPLE ACT OF PUTTING ON A JUMPER. IT MAY HAVE TO BE SEPARATED INTO FOUR STEPS-PULL JUMPER OVER HEAD, INSERT ONE ARM IN ONE SLEEVE, INSERT THE OTHER ARM INTO THE OTHER SLEEVE, PULL JUMPER DOWN.+
PUTTING THIS INTO PRACTICE, HOWEVER, SEEMED SOMEWHAT MORE DIFFICULT. AS WAS SHOWN FROM ONE OF THE PRACTICAL TRAINING SESSIONS HELD IN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES CENTRE OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.