i'm preparin a paper about the attitudes of parents of children with mental retardation. can anybody help me?

Answer 1

I don't have children with retardation, but I have a couple of thoughts (and do know people who have children with retardation).

When my oldest child, who is adopted and didn't get the best prenatal and very early-infancy situation), got to be in kindergarten and early school years he ran into problems because he had some kind of learning problem related to reading and writing words. He was the sweetest and happiest and bounciest little child when he was pre-school age, but I saw his demeanor when change as he got to be school age. I remember sitting and watching his squeezed-up-tight, little, fist as he struggled to write letters. It made me want to cry to watch how he had to struggle.

Separate from how he found his school years, I, as his mother, found it heartbreaking at times and extremely challenging at times, and I made it a point to study up on educational issues that I would never have otherwise become so obsessed with. Trying to help him know that his problem was only about learning and not about being a good and valued person was always on mind.

I know someone who watched her daughter who had just mild retardation in much the same way as I watched my son - only I know for her the challenges were even bigger and maybe so were the heartaches.

There are times, though, when watching the child who has to struggle accomplish something can bring a combination of joy and pride that maybe a parent doesn't get when things come easily for a child.

There was once a television movie on about a woman (played by Tyne Daly) who had a child with retardation. It was, if I remember correctly, a true story (I think from a book that had been written).

The woman compared having a child with retardation with a vacation trip: She said how a person may plan and be excited about a plane trip to Rome, and she imagines all the things she will find in Rome; but when the plane stops she learns that she has landed in Holland and how she will spend the rest of her life in Holland. She talked about how Holland is nice. She said it wasn't the same as Rome, though, and as beautiful as Holland can be she would always have some small part of her feeling a little sad because she never got to Rome.

One final comment I have to offer: I think you should try to research the differences it makes for the child with retardation when he has a parent who knows all the right things to do that will help the child develop to his potential and find happiness or satisfaction in life as compared to what happens when children don't get the most optimal nurturing.

Answer 2

I can only tell you what I saw yesterday. A middle aged Central American woman had a severely retarded girl by the hand, walking down the street. The girl kept trying to break away and was yelling unintelligible words. With her other hand, the woman would hit the girl with a thin switch she was carrying. Was very painful to see, even though the girl was not being hit hard. Other than being embarrassed by stares and comments in public, parents of mentally challenged kids must have all kinds of attitudes and incredible moral strength and faith.

Answer 3

I can just give your the input from parents I am acquanted with who have kids or teens like this.
These parents seem to be:
Loving, overprotective, smothering at times. wish the best for their child, guilt (for some reason they think it was their fault), sometimes denial, and a feeling of hopelessness.

Hopeless because there is nothing they or anyone else can do to change it. Guilt because they think they did something in uttero to cause this defect when actually this soul picked this body and this problem with it to overcome. Overprotective because they want to smother the child and take care of everything forever. And denial because they don't want to feel like their child is that bad that they may never have a normal life.

Some parents spend theri whole lives trying to fix their kid instead of living their lives to the fullest. What a waste or a good soul.

Answer 4

My brother is severly mentally retarded. Its rather heartbreaking. I feel like I got cheated out of brother. I always hoped they'd find a cure and one day he would be normal, or at least be able to communicate. I know its something that can rip some families apart. My parents are still married but many couples divorce over it.

Answer 5

Get good books, or statistics on the subject. Also, there are sites on the internet you can visit. Research is part of the process of gathering good facts or figures for a paper. You must do the work.