The Evaluation and Cultivation of Spatial and Linguistic Abilities in Individuals with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

The work of the Cerebral Palsy project (members: Seymour Papert, Sylvia Weir, Jose Valente and Gary Drescher) over the past eighteen months is summarized, and the next phase of activity is outlined. The issues to be addressed by the proposed research are as follows: 1. An investigation of computer-based techniques to maximize the acquisition of spatial and linguistic skills in severely Cerebral Palsied children, to serve the educational and therapeutic needs of this population. 2. Developing a set of computer-based diagnostic tools for use with physically handicapped persons which could contribute to the provision of a functional specification of subcategories of Cerebral Palsy. 3. Investigating the ways in which findings on Cerebral Palsy subjects can inform our theories of cognitive development and the adult functioning of normal individuals.