Movement and drama with mentally retarded children in the United Kingdom : a survey of recent literature and current practices

In Part One the definition of mental retardation, as formulated by the American Association on Mental Deficiency, is adopted and examined in relation to the needs of mentally retarded children. The definition is seen as useful in that it emphasises current adaptive behaviour, avoids etiological considerations, and sees prognosis as a function of associated conditions together with treatment and training opportunities. The child's view of himself vis'a-vis the world at large is discussed, particularly as it relates to his and society's expectations. In developing the discussion it becomes imperative to analyse those concepts which appear to describe the child's mental, physical and emotional states and which are thought of as motivating his behaviour. Such concepts include the selfconcept and self-esteem; failure and success as personally felt and socially observed phenomena; emotional security, displacement, competence and effectance; sensitivity to external cues and a generalised defensiveness; imagination and creativity. Part Two investigates the expressive arts in general and drama and movement in particular for the mentally retarded child; their place in his life and right and as a therapeutic mode. There follows a comparison of proposals and techniques (and their underlying rationale) for drama and movement as advocated by some important teachers and writers, and those they have influenced. Movement as the common denominator of all human activity is discussed and, in conjunction with drama, is offered as establishing and supporting a sense of valuable identity. The relationship between the capacity for emotional experience and the opportunity for such experience is probed; earned success emerges, from the writers' views, as a corner-stone for the strengthening of self-esteem and the consolidation of emotional security. A description of a selection of practical movement and drama sessions in which the present writer has been involved forms Part Three of this study. Work described includes one-to-one foundation movement with severely subnormal children (SSN); movement with autistic children; group role-play with SSN children; free drama and one-role sessions with moderately subnormal children (ESNM).