ABSTRACT
Four trainable retarded children, ages five to seven, in a state-operated Regional Center program were conspicuous for poor posture, awkwardness of gait, reluctance to run, fear of heights, and general ineptness with regard to position and motion in space. They balked at ascending and descending from their bus, bidding to be carried each time. An exploratory program was improvised to help overcome their difficulty in negotiating stairs, ramps or hillsides. A systematic desensitization/reinforcement paradigm was used. The first phase involved setting up intermediate subgoals which were approximations of the ultimate objective. Each child was tested to see if he would walk the ramp merely as it rested horizontally on the floor. The next phase, deemed relevant in terms of developing motor and spatial self-sufficiency, involved the elements and sequencing of elements of descent from height; first, descent from ramp, second, descent from stairs, which progressed to descent from the top step—much the converse of the program of ascent.
