Behavior Planning and Mental Health

Development and Behavior

Young children and those with developmental disabilities are by definition "pre-logical." That is, their reasoning does not yet demonstrate an understanding of cause-effect relationships nor exhibit the multiple variable considerations capable of older, more logical reasoners. If a student of any chronological age has mental retardation, reasoning skills have not kept pace with age, and the student processes information as a much younger student might. These students will of course have a greater repertoire of information but the way in which they use that information will be like a much younger child. Understanding developmental learning styles is important if effective behavior support plans are to be developed.

• Charts on Teaching Strategies, Behavior Support and Curriculum, from mental ages of 12 months to 11 years and older:
  Sensorimotor Stage V: Put-er In-er
  Sensorimotor Stage VI: Foreseer
  Prelogical Stage I - Association Reasoner
  Prelogical Stage II - Fantasizer
  Logical Thinker I
  Logical Thinker II
  
• Development of Reasoning Skills From A Piagetian Perspective
• Relating Development to Common Behavior Strategies
• Delivering the Hard News Well: Your Child Has Mental Retardation - PowerPoint