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Biomedical subjects

M J Guralnick

Publications and source records attributed to M J Guralnick.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Functional and discourse analyses of nonhandicapped preschool children's speech to handicapped children.

Functional and discourse analyses of the communicative interactions of nonhandicapped preschool children when addressing children at different developmental levels were carried out in an instructional setting. Listeners were classified as manifesting either mild, moderate, severe, or no developmental delays. The results indicated that the nonhandicapped children appropriately adapted their interactions in a manner that would suggest an increased likelihood that messages would be understood and responded to. In addition, the modified interactions appeared to be consistent with the communicative goals of the speaker and the social roles of the participants. These findings were discussed in terms of their relevance to the issue of mainstreaming and early intervention.

Child Development↗
PubMed1978

Pediatric residents and young handicapped children: curriculum evaluation.

The systematic evaluation of a curriculum designed to improve the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and clinical judgment of pediatric residents with regard to young handicapped children and their families is described. Residents were assigned to experimental and control groups, and changes were analyzed across several dimensions. The results revealed a number of significant changes due to the implementation of the curriculum. In particular, knowledge of various aspects of handicapping conditions increased as did the tendency to characterize the behavior of handicapped children in a positive manner. In addition, an experimental design is presented that is uniquely compatible with scheduling factors during residency training.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1977

The nature of verbal interactions among handicapped and nonhandicapped preschool children.

The nature of verbal interactions among handicapped and nonhandicapped preschool children was examined in instructional and free-play settings. A wide variety of linguistic parameters designed to reflect verbal productivity and grammatical complexity was selected for analysis. The speech of designated nonhandicapped children wddressed. Listeners were classified as manifesting mild, moderate, severe, or no developmental delays. The results indicated that the speech of the designated children tended to be more complex, more frequent, and more diverse when addressed to developmentally more advanced children in both settings. These results were discussed in terms of their significance for facilitating the development of the language-delayed child.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1976

The value of integrating handicapped and nonhandicapped preschool children.

A conceptual and empirical framework is suggested to promote the development of handicapped preschool children through involvement with nonhandicapped peers. The need for systematically designed interaction is stressed, and related to research on peers as agents of change. Two studies are offered as examples of the effectiveness of nonhandicapped children as educational and therapeutic resources. A framework for future research is discussed, and relevant variables are identified.

Attitude↗
PubMed1976

Biofeedback training with a learning disabled child.

Biofeedback training was used to increase a learning disabled child's ability to control his breathing patterns. The procedure was most effective when the child was permitted to explore freely the correlations between his respiratory movements and feedback from the apparatus. Probe trials showed that increased external and self-directed control over the direction and volume of breathing was achieved. Results were discussed in terms of the relationship between biofeedback technology and learning and behavior problems.

Child↗
PubMed1976

Solving complex perceptual discrimination problems: techniques for the development of problem-solving strategies.

Techniques for developing problem-solving strategies in handicapped children when they are faced with complex perceptual discriminations were investigated. Specifically, the effectiveness of feedback, modeling, and self-instruction were compared with each other and a control condition on a specially designed matching-to-sample task. The task was designed so that the distinctive features of the stimuli could be identified for instructional purposes. The results indicated that only the self-instruction technique facilitated performance on the posttest. In addition, these skills generalized to a new set of forms but not to the Matching Familiar Figures test. These findings were further related to the development of observational skills.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Effects of distinctive-feature training and instructional technique on letter and form discrimination.

Techniques for facilitating alphabet letter discrimination were investigated within the framework of distinctive feature and attention theory. To compare the effectiveness of three instructional procedures for emphasizing distinctive features, experimenters gave separate groups of children either distinctive-feature training, high-lighting of the features, or distinctive-feature training plus fading-in of the letter forms, along with a control, for each of three dimensions. The horizontal-slant, open-close, and straight-curve dimensions were chosen for study. Training effects were assessed by presenting corresponding alphabet letter pairs (H-N, C-O, U-V) and two sets of generalization forms. Results indicated that the three experimental groups perfomed better than the control, but did not differ from each other. All groups except fade-in readily generalized to other forms. These findings were discussed in terms of the educational value of distinctive feature analyses and the use of instructional methods.

Discrimination Learning↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The correspondence between temperament and peer interactions for normally developing and mildly delayed preschool children.

The correspondence between temperament characteristics based on the Behavioural Style Questionnaire and the peer relations of normally developing and mildly developmentally delayed preschool-age children was examined in this study. Measures of the peer relations of 64 3- and 4-year-old boys were obtained through an analysis of children's social interactions in a series of specially designed playgroups. Maternal temperament ratings were found to be similar for the younger (3-year-olds) and older (4-year-olds) normally developing children as well as for the mildly delayed group (4-year-olds). Multiple regression analyses indicated that maternal-rated temperament dimensions of persistence and activity level were associated in a logical pattern with both the positive and negative aspects of children's peer relations. Issues related to the construct validity and situation-specificity of the temperament measure were discussed.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The next decade of research on the effectiveness of early intervention.

The effectiveness of early intervention programs for children with developmental disabilities and for children at biologic risk was reviewed and analyzed. A general pattern indicating important effects of early intervention programs was noted, with effect sizes averaging between one-half and three-quarters of a standard deviation. The ability of early intervention programs to minimize declines in development was identified as a significant outcome. The effects of specific program features--age of start and family involvement--were selected for more detailed examination, and the moderating influence of the levels of severity of children's disabilities was also analyzed. Future directions for improving the effectiveness of early intervention include using the emerging knowledge of biobehavioral and child development research, as well as enhancing children's social competence.

Age Factors↗