Introducing The Mentally Retarded (1963)

It doesn't take much to trigger a child's imagination. You know what they're thinking. Every youngster goes through it when they visit an airport. Little Jimmy, he's the pilot. Handsome in his tailored uniform. The leader, confident, poised, and ready to take the big jet anywhere in the world. Kathy, she's the airline stewardist, filling the traditional woman's role of caring for the wants and needs of the passengers. Dreams. Well, we tell our children that dreams like these can be achieved with a little luck and a lot of hard work. For some children, perhaps, but it can never be more than a dream for Kathy nor Jimmy. Kathy will never have the opportunity to reassure an anxious passenger. Jimmy will never operate the complicated controls of a big jet liner. For Kathy and Jimmy are mentally Kathy will return to her doll, and her dreams of far away places will be realized only through fantasy. And Jimmy will come no closer to a pilot's uniform than his imagination, and a paper airplane can take him. But Kathy and Jimmy are not alone. There are in the United States hundreds of thousands of Kathys and Jimmies in every walk of life. on the farms, in low rent housing districts, in suburban homes and apartments, and in the betterass neighborhoods of any city or town. For their number is legion. And wherever people live, there also live the mentally But who are the mentally And what are they really like? [Music] Usually the mentally are divided into classifications. The educable, the trainable and the custodial. The educable with IQ's from 50 to 70 can usually profit from academic training. They can, for example, learn to read and write. The trainable with IQ's from 25 to 50 usually are not capable of learning much in the way of academic material, even in special schools. However, they can be taught most of the activities of daily living, including the care of personal toilet and hygiene. Learning to dress and undress themselves is something most mentally children can do. Even the more difficult dressing activities such as tying a bow knot in a shoelace. They can usually be taught to button and unbutton a coat or dress. It requires patience, of course, but patience is the key to all successful teaching, just as persistence and repetition of effort are the keys to successful learning. They can learn to feed themselves and they can be taught to avoid the common hazards of normal daily living. The intelligence level of the custodial is so low that they cannot be taught even these fundamental life requirements. As a result, they must be attended to by others throughout their entire lifespans. Fortunately, only about three out of every 100 of all mentally people are so classified. really a very small percentage. A mentally person may be of any age, an infant, a young child, a teenager, or a young adult. And many even live to be quite elderly. In fact, thanks to medical science, more and more of the mentally are enjoying normal lifespans. Those with physical disabilities may not be too seriously handicapped so that only one function such as walking is impaired. But there is often more serious disability so that the person is handicapped in many human functions. Sometimes it's so serious that they're unable to perform any useful physical activity. Sensory disabilities are those involving defective vision and hearing. Usually we include speech problems along with vision and hearing, although technically speech is not a sensory ability. Although blind, this little girl is being taught to feed herself. The mentally can also be classified according to the ideology or the underlying causes of the subnormal condition and described as primary and secondary retardation. Primary retardation has an hereditary origin. Defective genes and chromosomes bring about abnormal physical, organic, and glandular disturbances which in turn may account for the defective intelligence. The twins and these three brothers are good examples of primary retardation. Research has thrown much light on these mysteries, but we still have a great deal to learn. Secondary retardation is caused by external forces such as accidents or disease. They can affect the person at any time after conception, even before birth. They can happen during delivery, in infancy, or in early childhood. Regardless of the cause of the mental retardation, one fact remains clear. Serious retardation is frequently accompanied by physical abnormalities and these can occur in a wide variety of forms. One example is hydrophille. Normally there is fluid inside the skull surrounding the brain and protecting it from shock. Sometimes there is faulty distribution and absorption of this fluid. pressure builds up. The brain is squeezed and physically damaged, and the skull grows larger and thinner. Intellectually, hydrophalics range all the way from those unable to feed themselves to people of average intelligence, depending on the amount of brain damage. It is important to note that the term hydrophilis like other terms applied to the mentally such words as microphalic cerebral palsy mongaloid and others merely describe a condition. The terms do not explain the condition nor do they tell us really anything about the individual's social, educational or vocational potentials. Obviously, we can only assess the abilities or potential of the mentally on an individual basis. Seemingly random motions and movements are fairly common among the custodial and they may take many forms. Sometimes there are motions which seem to have no meaning whatever and may even cause unintentional self-inflicted injuries. Although these conditions are common, they are more apt to occur under conditions of stress such as when strangers are present. Most of these cases are rarely seen outside of an institution and such conditions are really quite rare. Actually, most mentally people like these boys and girls look very much like the typical boy or girl next door or any of the people you might pass on the street. The vast majority of the mentally are intelligent enough that they can be taught a great many things. However, there's a wide range of ability even among those considered educable. And their ability to learn obviously varies according to their level of intelligence as well as their emotional stability, their level of socialization and the presence of any physical or sensory handicaps. Therefore, to whatever extent possible, they should be given individual instruction. This calls for very small classes. It's highly desirable to have no more than 10 to 15 students in a classroom. Naturally, this will vary according to the training, experience, and personal dedication of the teacher. Highly important factors in the education of the mentally Equally important is a stimulating environment, one which can encourage the child to want to learn. Education for the mentally goes far beyond the teaching of the three Rs. Much of their formal schooling involves learning to do things normal people take for granted. Even simple problems such as learning to tell time require patient instruction. Regardless of how far a person can go in school, there are still many simple tasks which must be learned in order to get along in society. even one's own family. Telling time is just one obvious example. But it goes further. Many children must be taught to identify and use even the most common household articles. For those who are capable of such things as learning to read, it's important to encourage them to go on to learn as much as they are capable of. Not only because it will help them to assume their eventual place in society but also in terms of personal satisfaction. The reading may be slow and labored. But learning to read even at very simple levels can be a valuable experience and an enjoyable pastime. However, we must remember to set realistic standards that are not too high for the individual. And what applies to reading also applies to other academic efforts. But academic efforts are only part of the picture. It's equally important that the mentally learn to get along pleasantly with other people. This may include learning the common courtesies, finding enjoyment in sharing and in helping others. Sometimes, as with all children, the learning has its difficult moments when consideration for others seems less important than having one's own way. All children need time for constructive and educational hobbies. Arts and crafts in group settings promote concentration. They serve to develop hand eye coordination and hand and finger dexterity. For those who have talent and who are interested, music lessons can be a great source of personal satisfaction. They help to develop a sense of rhythm and coordination. [Music] Such activities as group dancing also develop rhythm and coordination. And while they're enjoying themselves, the youngsters are also developing poise and balance. [Music] But the education of the child must go beyond this. For like anyone else, the have spiritual and religious needs. And these two should be satisfied. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Wholesome play activities are just as important to the mentally as to anyone else. They help to develop healthy bodies, sound minds, and emotional adjustment. Baseball may or may not be played as organized competition between two opposing teams. All children find the same kind of fun in playground activities. Even at home, opportunity should be provided for some form of healthy exercise through play activities. A vacation away from home with one's family is something any child enjoys and certainly it is true of children. It's not so much the kind of activity but rather the emotionally healthy social interaction of having fun together which is important. Even within the confines of an institution, supervised play should be part of the total program. Such activities as swimming and mixed cookouts, for example, help to promote social interaction. The fact is of course most mentally are cared for in their own homes and in most cases this is the most desirable environment for them. However, there are times when it may be wise or even necessary to provide the kind of care and training that only an institution can give. such factors as the trainability or educability of the child, physical or sensory disabilities, and even the influence of a child on the rest of the family should be considered. And of course, another important factor is the ability of the parents to provide properly for the child. A good institution must have certain basic features and characteristics, attractive buildings and grounds, classroom facilities, plenty of nourishing food served in enjoyable surroundings, a well-trained staff, clean and wells supervised wards. And there must be adequate hospital facilities for medical diagnosis and treatment, including such facilities as a physical therapy department. and adequate laboratory services. Further, there should be cottage type living for those who are capable of profiting from the experience of responsible group living. And a good institution will have a variety of opportunities for vocational guidance, training, and job placement for those with vocational potential. And speaking of jobs, most people, if they believe the mentally are able to perform any useful work at all, probably think of them only in terms of the most simple manual operations. and they would undoubtedly feel that such tasks should require almost no judgment or decision-making. The fact is, however, that many mentally are capable of goal-directed activity. They can do many kinds of jobs which are often denied them, such as filling orders. A great number of the mentally are dependable and quite capable of following instructions. This boy works regularly as a messenger, carrying important messages and documents. Many of the trainable can learn to take certain kinds of household responsibilities, some of which may be more complex than they are usually given credit for. In so doing, they not only help their parents, but more important, they gain the satisfactions which come from being responsible and contributing members of the family. In fact, certain kinds of household chores have their vocational counterparts. Learning to do these tasks at home neatly and efficiently may lead to job possibilities. There are many jobs in both large and small industry which can be competently handled by some of the mentally even though they involve several different kinds of operations which necessarily must follow each other in the correct order. Some mentally people can learn to do rather complex jobs involving delicate finger dexterity and close hand eye coordination. Sometimes it's difficult or impossible to train a person for a specific job before employment, but his potential can be determined and on the job training may solve the problem. It would be wrong to expect a mentally person to become a master craftsman. The standards are too high. But even in the skilled trades, for example, the mentally can be trained to become valuable assistants. The idea of assisting skilled workers holds true even in the field of nursing. Many of the duties of a nurse's aid could be performed by many mentally people if they were given the training, the opportunity, and the correct supervision. It's often surprising how well they can learn to do some very complicated, responsible, and even somewhat hazardous jobs. But regardless of the job level, and regardless of what kind of general or specialized training has been given, the mentally are no different from any of us in one respect. The most important single qualification for job success is socialization. The ability to work pleasantly and cooperatively with others. Who are the mentally They are people. They come in both sexes and in all sizes, shapes, creeds, and colors. Their number is legion. And wherever people live, there also live the mentally [Music]