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Mentally handicapped children's responses to vibro‐tactile and other stimuli as evidence for the existence of a sensory hierarchy
Author(s) -
BYRNE DAVID J.,
STEVENS CHRISTOPHER P.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of the institute of mental subnormality (apex)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.633
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1468-3156
pISSN - 0141-2205
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3156.1980.tb00540.x
Subject(s) - sensory system , stimulus modality , sensory stimulation therapy , psychology , audiology , tactile stimuli , modalities , sensory deprivation , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , medicine , social science , sociology
The responses of 16 mentally handicapped children to a series of sensory stimuli were investigated. Stimuli were either vibro‐tactile, visual or auditory. In addition to their mental handicap, all the children were impaired visually and most suffered a hearing defect. An index of skill development was related to sensory function as derived from the number of their responses to the various sensory stimuli. It was found that. The vibro‐tactile and visual modalities were the most effective source of stimulation for the majority of the research group. Children placed higher in the index of skill development tended to score higher on the visual conditions.