ABSTRACT
More frequently, Nora’s essays express her needs and conflicts—both academic and social. The sessions are varied: the use of the TV soap operas for lessons on non-verbal communication; the effect of two movies on her sense of self and retardation; different aspects of government as "organic" outgrowths of her school assignments; and a crisis over a borrowed encyclopedia. Nora continued expanding the form of her journal from questions and isolated paragraphs to short essays. One of her first essays addressed her questions about learning disabilities, particularly about the origin of her problem. She formulated her own "attribution theory": the cause. Westman described the limitations in the population considered "mentally retarded": a lack of direct exchange of ideas, impaired self-help skills, and impaired generalized ability to learn both in daily life skills, academic learning, and social adjustment.
