Recent Advances in Work with People with Learning Difficulties

Abstract

“Of all the contributions made by psychologists to the education and training of the mentally retarded in recent years, pride of place must surely be accorded to behaviour modification” (Clarke and Clarke, 1987). This is a significant claim and one that may be disputed by those who work in other areas (as indeed do the Clarkes themselves) but there is little doubt that behavioural methods have made a major contribution to the teaching and management of people with learning difficulties. This paper will divide the, necessarily selective, review of recent research into two main areas: first, that concerned with skill development and second, that concerned with behaviour reduction and the management of what has become known as Challenging Behaviour.