Abstract:

The purpose of the study was to test the use of various reli- gious symbols to teach Jewish mentally-retarded youngsters enhanced familiarity with certain Jewish holidays. The participants included 8 stu- dents aged from 12-23 years old with various degrees of moderate to se- vere mental handicap. The study group met eight hours weekly (2 hours biweekly) for a total of 12 weeks. Four categories of questions involving nine different symbols were used. Baseline values were determined in pre- and post-testing. Results demonstrated that all students completing the study showed improvements in symbol recognition. We conclude that use of symbols can provide useful tools to improve communication with mentally retarded individuals.

Author(s): Varda Carmeli & Eli Carmeli

Journal: Religion, Disability and Health

Date: 2001

Volume: 5

Issue: 2-3

Pages: 123-129

DOI: 10.1300/J095v05n02_10

Databased: Yes

Disabilities: Developmental Disability

Categories: Congregations