John Locking
C.V.
Education
Leigh Grammar School , 1949 -1956
School Certificate
Ordinary Level
Passes in Maths, Science, French, English Literature and English
Language,
Advanced Level
Passes in Maths, Physics and Chemistry
Leeds University
Honours degree in Psychology, 1959
Liverpool University
Diploma in Applied Psychology, 1960
(This dealt with psychology as applied to industry, and included work
in vocational guidance)
New Jersey Neuro-psychiatric Institute, U.S.A.
Qualified as psychological interne in 1962
Here I gained experience of working with young adults with learning
difficulties, and with inmates at a young men's reformatory
Monyhull Subnormality Hospital, 1962-1967
Basic Grade, then Senior Grade Psychologist
1966, published article in the magazine 'Journal of Mental
Subnormality' entitled 'An Arithmetic Programme for the Subnormal
Pupil'
Here I was especially concerned with devising teaching programmes
for mentally handicapped young people.
Exe Vale Psychiatric Hospital Group
Senior Psychologist, 1967 -1970
Principal Clinical Psychologist for Derby Area Psychological
Services
1970 - 1977
In this capacity I worked with adults and children having a large
variety of psychiatric problems, in association with psychiatrists,
in terms of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, and supervised other
psychologists.
Psychologist at Cornwall Regional Hospital, Montego Bay, Jamaica
1977 -1980
Here I was mainly assessing families and children with problems and
counselling parents as to the best way of handling these problems. I
also did work in group therapy with adult psychiatric patients.
Principal Psychologist for Honormead Group of Special Schools,
U.K.
1981-2001 (retired)
These schools at first were concerned with residential education for
emotionally maladjusted children but later changed their populations
and dealt with children who had speech and language problems, and/or
learning difficulties of varying degrees, often with behavioural
problems, also of varying types and degrees.
Articles published on the Internet concerning
Interesting types of behaviour observed in mentally handicapped
children
Methods and systems of photographic, picture and symbol communication
for use with mentally handicapped individuals who do not talk.
In 2002 I obtained a certificate in T.E.F.L. (teaching English as a
foreign language)
Avocational interests and hobbies
(Past)
Studying languages, ( I speak a little French, German and Italian, and
some Malay), Sailing , R.Y.A. Certificate in Dinghy Sailing , Sub-Aqua
Diving , second class diver (was secretary of the Montego Bay Branch
of the British Sub-Aqua Club),
Badminton, Tennis
(Present, active)
Sculpture.
For many years I have been interested in bronze casting and have, since
1971, have usually had my own back-yard bronze casting facility, with
furnace and foundry etc.
British Sign Language. Stage I certificate, and was about to
take Stage Two but circumstances prevented me taking the examination.
I am also still carrying forward my interest in languages and am still
researching and developing the above mentioned systems of pictorial
communication.
Recently I have started to build a web site which, as well as
containing articles on the psychology of the s.l.d. child, describes
such systems.
Lately I have done volunteer work in S.E. Asia, including a well
known hospital for autistic children in Bangkok, Thailand. There, as
well as advising generally on education, training and therapy I
introduced the picture communication scheme described on the web site.
The senior author's single surviving son Ian helped with some of the
articles on the site, and contributes many paintings to it. He now
lives in Canada and works as an artist.
A younger son Stephen was killed tragically early at the age of 23. He
had a great natural artistic gift, and had he lived might have become a
prominent artist, (although in this world of talentless 'celebrities'
he might not have found a place.)
He was, however, too fragile to survive in the world we made for him,
and he was not saved by his father. He had everything to live for, he
was handsome and talented, but threw it away for nothing.
Some of his surviving graphic works will appear on the site in the future.
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