This book is a hands-on description of the application of the methods developed by Professor Reuven Feuerstein to remediate and elaborate the skills and functions of young children who are experiencing a variety of learning disabilities and delays, based on his theories of structural cognitive modifiability (SCM) and the application of mediated learning experience (MLE). The lead author is an experienced educational therapist who has worked with a variety of children, initially in the Feuerstein Institute (formerly the International Center for the Enhancement of Learning Potential ICELP]) in Jerusalem, Israel. This experience under the supervision of Professor Feuerstein and his staff is the basis for the content of this book. Her case studies have been elaborated to illustrate examples of the creative potential in the application of the methodology incorporating mediated learning experience (MLE) into learning activities designed to be effective with a variety of learning dysfunctions. The chapter format highlights important insights in identifying difficulties and resolving them. This book describes how MLE can be used to formulate insightful and creative interventions that make a difference through the structural cognitive modifiability of very low-functioning children. After initial chapters establish the theoretical and conceptual foundations of the Feuerstein approach, the subsequent chapters present interventions provided for children presenting a variety of learning difficulties.
The book will be appropriate for several potential audiences: (1) teachers and parents who interact with special-needs children and who are seeking effective interventions to improve educational performance, (2) clinicians seeking a broadening of their therapeutic repertoires, and (3) scholars who are familiar with or wishing to gain understanding of the implementation of structural cognitive modifiability (SCM) and mediated learning experience (MLE) that was formulated and elaborated by Professor Feuerstein.