Planning for Better Learning

This book continues the series Clinics in Developmental Medicine and was produced by a study group composed largely of paediatricians and psychologists who have been meeting at intervals oftwoyears to discuss child neurology and cerebral palsy.The subject of the 1968 study group was chosen, to quote the editors, 'to remind members that physicians and psychologists have a part to play in helping every child to develop his full potential, a part supplementary to and co-existent with the work of the educator'.The articles, 11 by British authors and 5 by American, include research reports as well as selective reviews of the research literature.The largest group of articles is concerned with language development: in dealing with preverbal speech development and linguistic develop- ment, Ingram describes work on devising tests to give a quantitative assessment of the progress of the child and enable deviation from normal to be recognized.Huxley in two articles reports on American, Russian, and British work in language development.Cashdan discusses the role of movement in the formation of the association between word and meaning.His own work is with severely retarded children who are brought up at home by their mothers.Educational problems are raised in several papers, including that by Wolff on programmes designed to enrich the environment (he is sceptical of their value); Rutter surveys dyslexia, and Cashdan comments on Doman's reading method 'Teach your baby to read'.Kuffler also raises a very real educational issue in her paper on modal preference.She emphasizes that those children with spatial/visual bias rather than verbal orientation are more likely to fail in the present educa- tional system.A third group of papers deals with direct experi- mental studies.Barnett discusses the role of heredity and environment on the development of behaviour in the rat.Connolly reviews various experiments showing