15. MINIMALLY BRAIN-DAMAGED ADULTS When one is trying to assess why clinicians and educators have been so tardy in their recognition and research in the area of Minimum Brain Damage (MBD) in adults, Anderson (1974) wrote, it is because these patients are highly unreliable in their statements. It is not only that they deliberately falsify, they suffer from the same human tendency that all flesh is heir to, namely, the need to preserve our pride system intact as best we can. The problem is that they are endowed with such poor appraisal capacity that they failed to really perceive what has occurred in their lives. Additionally, they have always had difficulty recognizing what is more and what is less important, so that it is entirely likely that whatever they say will be highly distorted. There is also the probability that they never did have access to pertinent information concerning their developmental experience and patterns, so they could hardly be expected to provide basic information. Whether it be from lack of information, the need to project blame, problems with appraisal, with priorities, or with integration, whatever they say ought to be suspect (p. 219). No systematic study has been carried out to determine the prevalence or incidence of this disability in any non- institutional segment of our population, but Anderson (1974) purported that the lower the socioeconomic stratum, the greater the incidence of MBD. Frequently there is school failure and dropping out. Poor language arts proficiency may be a factor. Many students with MBD finish high school, because staying in school is the law of the land. This does not mean that they can read or do simple arithmetic, or understand money values, or have any practical knowledge of the world in which he lives. Having MBD does not necessarily constitute a handicap when it comes to normal appearance, to singing, dancing, partying, boosting (shoplifting), hustling (engaging in prostitution), or even in being a pimp, which is regarded as one of the most lucrative occupations open to males in the ghetto. It is also well known that the illicit drug problem is greater there than elsewhere, which should be a reasonable expectation when one considers that MBD implies a paucity of understanding of cause and effect relationships (p. 221). Anderson (1974) described some other characteristics of MBD adults coming from lower socioeconomic levels as follows: 1. Lack planning and organizational ability. 2. Employed in most menial type of jobs. 3. Demonstrate impulsivity in decision making. 4. Lack the capacity for imaginative problem solving. 5. Perseveration or stuckness in a variety of ruts or actions. 6. Demonstrate a lack of capacity for in-depth relations. 7. Often a lack of parental control over children. 8. Marriages among MBD people are often unstable. 9. Inability to make or stick to a budget. 10. Often unable to raise children with a sense of discipline. 11. Child battering is common. 12. A proneness for stress which often results in temper tantrums. 13. High incidence of MBD among prison inmates. 14. Health tends to be greater disposed to disabilities. 15. Exhibit poor bodily needs management. 16. Difficulty in following medical instructions. 17. Sex is rarely a comfortable experience for the spouse of an MBD adult. 18. Possess a lack of meaningful understanding of human relations. 19. Do not see where they are failing in achieving their potential. 20. Often reject they have a basic handicap. 21. Emotional tensions tend to be reflected in the body. 22. Sometimes impatient, irritable, and avoid unpleasant situations. 23. Difficult for them to find their niche in life, especially if they come from a high socioeconomic level. 25. Not readily recognized as easily in women as in men due to the social structure which places high achievement expectations on the former gender (p. 229-240). In order to assist MBD adults, Curry College's Learning Center trains teachers to work with learning disabled children. The colleges theory is that there is no justification in a technological society such as the United States, that routinely uses tapes, recorders, computers, and typewriters to help people record ideas, to deny able young people educational opportunity for enrichment. At Curry, the Program for Assistance in Learning (PAL) was created to respond to these special adults. The college chooses to pick up the challenge of able young handicapped adults eager for learning and to assist them in helping themselves toward a successful college career and more rewarding self-actualization. In describing the characteristics of their students, they list them as running the gamut from very small to very tall, football heroes and hockey stars, and others with real coordination problems. Boys outnumber girls five to one. Orally, most communicate well, but others do not. They are curious, interested, eager to participate in discussions. Many exhibit fine motor problems and difficulties in their visual and auditory integration systems. Applications to the PAL program are screened to insure appropriateness of their candidacy and the probability of the program's meeting the students' needs. The dean of the college stated: "Our schools are set up only for the success stories. Anybody else can forget it! Maybe that's one reason why sixteen out of twenty men on 'death row' are people who have learning disabilities. At Curry, we attempt to reverse this trend" (Webb, 1974, pp. 246-247). PAL's screening program aims to select students who can profit from the program's offerings and to exclude those whose strengths would be better be used in a setting other than college. An individual prescriptive program is written for each student in the PAL program. All students work to improve communication skills. The development of reading skills gets particular attention for all students. Particular students are invited to participate in a motor program where body control is developed through training on a trampoline. The individually developed PAL program is above and in addition to the regular college curriculum. All PAL students are integrated into the college for their regular courses. Professors of all PAL students are alerted to their enrollment in the program and to their special needs. Without the support of the faculty, the students, even though they are individually strengthening their skills, would encounter frustration in the general classroom. Sponsors of the PAL program students feel very fortunate to be interacting at the college level with such responsive and supportive faculty. Webb (1972) hypothesized that K-12 schools could adopt this or similar programs within a special education budget and become much more effective in working with MBD children, adolescents, and young adults.