Two studies are reported on the assessment and training of parent-child interactional skills in developmentally handicapped mothers. Study 1 compared the interactions of eight developmentally handicapped versus eight nonhandicapped mothers during play with their young (6-25 months) children. Results showed that the former group generally interacted much less with their children and that they were less likely to praise appropriate child behavior and imitate child vocalizations. Study 2 attempted to remediate these deficits, using a training package consisting of discussion, modeling, feedback, social reinforcement, and self-recording. Results showed, first, that the training did increase the targeted skills to well within the range found for the nonhandicapped mothers. Second, training effects generalized from the group instructional setting to the mothers' own homes. Third, newly acquired skills were generally maintained at or above levels found for the nonhandicapped mothers over a 5-to 10-month follow-up period. Finally, all seven children showed increases in vocalizations concomitant with parent training. The results suggest that developmentally handicapped mothers can be taught to provide more effective and stimulating interactions to their young children.

The effectiveness of a token economy system in producing improvement in the academic performance of children with Down's syndrome was tested. One group of seven children received token reinforcement for correct responses and showed significant improvement both in arithmetic and language. A second matched group of six children received only verbal praise for correct responses to the same instructional materials and failed to improve in arithmetic but showed significant gains in language. Re-test scores one year later revealed that the Token Group maintained its gains in both subjects whereas the language performance of the No-Token Group showed a significant decline.Behavior modification research with children of normal intelligence (e.g., Haring, Hayden, and Nolen, 1969;Miller and Schneider, 1970;Chadwick and Day, 1971) has amply demonstrated the effectiveness of token economy systems in producing improvement when successful performance on academic subjects is selected as the "target behavior" for modification. There are few comparable studies with retarded children (e.g., Birnbrauer, Wolf, Kidder, and Tague, 1965). The purpose of the present study was to provide additional empirical data bearing on this problem.Specifically, an attempt was made to test whether a group of children with Down's syndrome would make significantly greater gains in certain school subjects when such learning was supported by a token economy system than when the same material was taught to a second group of comparable children without the support of a 1The authors are indebted to the following for their indispensible assistance in the collection and analysis of the data presented in this report:

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23 children who were attending a summer camp for children with learning disabilities and who demonstrated a reading disability at least one grade level below that expected on the basis of chronological age were selected for study. Peripheral visual-field limits were tested for both nasal and temporal fields in both eyes. Testing also took place for central visual field deficits.With very few exceptions the visual field limits were in the range of the accepted norm. 10 randomly selected Ss were retested and the results proved to be reliable as there were no significant differences on first and second testing. It was suggested that an additional study is required which should include a group of children with no reading disabilities. Earnes (1935), in an investigation of restrictions of the visual field, found that "educational disability cases present smaller fields than 'Normal' or unselected cases." In addition, these differences were greater in the left eye. This study was based upon the assumption that visual-field limitations would require more fixations per line and therefore "slower, more mechanical reading." A further study by Eames (1957) supported these results. The present investigation was designed to explore further this apparent relationship between visual-field restrictions and cases of reading disability.Ss were selected from children attending a summer camp held for children with learning disabilities. The children were selected on the basis of two criteria: no S wore corrective lenses; all Ss were at least one grade level below that expected on the basis of age in reading, as determined by testing on the Wide Range Achievement Test (Jastak & Jasmk, 1965).For 23 Ss selected and tested, the mean and standard deviation of age were 11.1 yr. and 1.52 respectively. The mean and standard deviation for grade level of reading as determined by the WRAT were 3.4 and 1.19 respectively. Based upon the age and reading level of the group, these Ss were 2.7 yr. behind in reading (age -"Grade level + 5 " ) . ProcedureAll children were tested to determine peripheral visual field limits in both nasal and temporal fields for both eyes. Testing took place in a dark room and utilized an AIMARK Projection Perimeter with a low intensity white light source of 1 cm. in diameter. The light was introduced well beyond S's peripheral visual limits and slowly moved until S indicated that he could see it. This was done for both nasal and temporal fields in both eyes for a total of three trials each. S's score was the average of these three uials.In addition, each eye was tested for central deficit by introducing the light at randomly selected 5" points between 90"-0"-90".S was expected to respond "yes" if he saw the light or "no" if he did not see it. An additional 10 "checkpoints" were interspersed randomly. N o light was presented at the time of these "checkpoiats" and S was 'The authors wish to thank the executive of the Integra Foundation and the staff of Camp Towhee for their cooperation and support. Thanks are also due to ...