Sequence and Structure in the Concept Development of Children with Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties

Abstract

We investigated the order of acquisition of concepts and cognitive processes in children with emotional and behavioral difficulties and the extent to which these children show similarity to ordinary children in sequence and structure of development. Similarity in developmental sequence was strongly supported by scalogram analyses and has clear implications for organizing teaching, but similarity in structure was less clear. Cognitive processes however, and the nature of the children's reasoning were clarified by the method of exploration used. This was particularly fruitful for providing insight into the difficulties children may have. The findings thus contribute to understanding with a view toward furthering concept development in children with emotional and behavioral difficulties.

The development of understanding of quantity in children with cerebral palsy, part II

“…Order of development of conservation concepts has been investigated with children who have different handicapping conditions and with non-handicapped children (Lister, Leach & Hull, 1987;Lister, Leach & McCombe, 1988;Lister, Leach & Wesencraft, 1988;Lister, Leach, McGraw & Simpson, 1989;Lister, Leach & O'Neill, 1989;Lister, Leach & Walsh, 1989;Lister, Leach & Hill, 1990). None of these investigations has included children with cerebral palsy.…”