Performance of mentally retarded children on a hierarchically sequenced introductory mathematics curriculum∗

Abstract
Sixteen severely and moderately retarded children were given diagnostic tests to assess their understanding of number concepts. One group of eight children (experimental) were then given training on a hierarchically sequenced introductory mathematics curriculum and the other group of eight children (control) were given training on the same objectives but through traditional techniques. Results at the end of 12 months showed that the experimental group mastered an average of 32 objectives while the control group averaged 15.5 These results suggest that hierarchically sequenced mathematics curriculum may provide an effective approach to the teaching of number concepts to the severely and moderately retarded.