Assessment of Self-Recognition in Young Children with Handicaps

Thirty young children with handicaps were assessed using a series of five self-recognition mirror tasks developed by Bertenthal and Fischer (1978a, 1978b). The task data were submitted to a Guttman Scalogram. Generally, the set of items did form a reproducible scale, indicating these tasks are an appropriate measure of self-recognition in young children with handicaps. However, some general differences were noted between task performance by this sample and those reported by the authors for nonhandicapped young children, particularly, results obtained on task 1 (tactual exploration of the mirror). A partial correlation technique, controlling for chronological age, indicated that stage of self-recognition is positively and significantly related to cognitive development or mental age. Possible explanations for the observed differences are presented, along with recommendations for future research.