Effects of chronological age on the differentiation process of self and other with mentally retarded children: a longitudinal study

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In the course of personality development, children come to differentiate "self" and "other". This study investigate that how mentally retarded children differentiate "self" and "other". Important life events such as moving up to the senior classes and a long term experience in daily school life may play a critical role of facilitating the differentiation process. This study longitudinally examined the effects of chronological age on the developmental process of self-other differentiation. Over 12 years, eight mentally retarded children have annually solved a series of problems which assess their overall developmental level and been observed the process of adjusting self behavior to the models on building blocks and tracing figures tasks. Once the subjects could express their thoughts, they have been asked some questions regarding self-other recognition.Results showed that chronological age considerably had effected on the developmental process of self and other differentiation. However the performance level by developmental scale didn't make the transition to the higher level, the recognition about "familiar" self and other, not general, had advanced to the higher level. The developmental change of self and other recognition were occurred in the third grade of junior high school and in the second grade of high school. Their experiences with peer in these two periods were important for the children to recognize each other and awake their expectation of new life.