A nonspeech symbol system, consisting of small pieces of masonite cut into various shapes, was used to investigate the learning of noun usage by nonverbal, severely and profoundly retarded children. Results indicated that most such subjects can learn appropriate skills and do so in a short period of time when this nonspeech response mode is employed.
This article traces, historically, four decades of chimpanzee research relevant to the prosthesis of communication deficiencies. The prosthetic methods reviewed include the following: (a) environment and specialized prosthetic training, (b) mechanical devices for the production of expressive speech, (c) learning of sign systems, e.g., American Sign Language, and (d) a language system based on nonspeech manipulable symbols. The knowledge and techniques resulting from the chimpanzee research have been applied to the training of retarded children. This article discusses the results of this research and its implications for the prosthesis of communication deficiencies in the retarded and deaf.
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