The Problem of Retarded Children

Saima was born a normal intelligent child to educated parents of fairly reasonable means of livelihood. Her teachers in the Kindergarten and Standard One classes rated her as an intelligent, studious and active pupil who always came within the first five in all examinations -- a record she maintained even during the first term in Standard Two.

Then the unexpected incident happened. - She was laid up with high fever due to a virus infection. When she recovered from her sickness after three weeks, she was virtually crippled in health. She was not able even to talk or walk. Even after two months of nursing there was no recognizable improvement. She was taken to a specialist who broke the tragic news to Saia’s parents.- Sara’ s mental faculty is permanently damaged and she can never behave like a normal child’.

A very heavy blow this revelation was to Saima’s parents. They might have undergone great mental agony and emotional strain. Saima’s story is a sad and tragic one. Our pity and compassion go to the poor child and her affected parents.

Vimala is not the only victim of such a tragedy. Millions of children are either born mentally defective or become retarded after having grown up as normal children. According to a record study conducted in western countries, nearly three percent of children are born mentally defective. On a world scale this number could be staggering. There is no regional or class limitation to this problem. Mentally defective children are born in every region of the world and in every class of society. The condition knows no distinction between the rich and the poor, the literate and the illiterate. It is a problem that concerns humanity as a whole as the affected ones are our fellow-beings. Yet it is surprising that very few of us realize the nature and extent of this problem.

The term retarded child” is now commonly used for a mentally defective child. In most cases a retarded child may be physically normal’ but mentally deficient. They are over-grown babies. The cause of the mental defect is the damage to the brain cells either during birth or in after life due to some illness. As the brain cells are affected, the child will lose the power of thinking, controlling and co-ordination the actions of the limbs. These children will have very low intelligence. Among the retarded children there’ are two groups, the mildly or moderately retarded, children who could he trained to do simple jobs and crafts and the seriously retarded children who have to be fed and nursed all along. It is in towns that the problem of retarded children is very serious. Life in towns and cities in this technological age needs a great degree of intelligence and skill for survival. Owing to lack of sufficient measure of intelligence and skills, the retarded children become misfits there. In rural areas life is very simple, and the retarded children can adapt themselves and survive by doing some simple tasks connected with village life.

On the social side the retarded children present agonizing emotional problems to their parents and relatives. The parents undergo mental agony, desperation and depression. Even the retarded children undergo great emotional strains. They are often not accepted in the company of normal children. The completed retarded child becomes a burden to the family as he has to be fed and nursed all his life. Sorrowful and tormenting experiences of the treatment, meted out to retarded children in their homes could fill the pages of a voluminous book. It could be a saga of ‘suffering and frustration.

Retarded children need our compassion and pity. More than that they need our help. We owe this to the society of which we are part and parcel and to. Our fellow sufferers. It is brutal in outlook to leave these children to their sufferings and allow them to drag on their miserable existence. We have to bring a ray of hope and happiness to their minds by enabling them to find their rightful place in society.

These children are in this miserable state not because of their parents’ fault. It is one of those accidents or tragedies of life. It is too inhuman to blame them and curse them for it. There is no need to feel desperate over the plight. Thanks to the advance of science and education. It’s now possible to enable most of these children to lead a formerly independent life with dignity and self-respect. What they need is special educational opportunities and training facilities. In these institutions they should be given training to regain self- confidence and to learn-simple skills. They must be made to feel that they too could become useful citizens and that society needs their services. Over, sympathy and’ consideration should form the basic approach to their training. In western countries, with the help of such specialized training in special institutions, retarded children are successfully taught to perform works of simple skills such as making toys, carpets, bags etc.

What is needed is an enlightened approach of the part of the -general public. The public should begin to feel that the problem of the retarded children touches all and not only a few.’ enlightened social workers. We have to extend our sympathy, Co-operation and assistance in all possible directions to help retarded- children. Given such assistance and cooperation, most retarded children could face their future with dignity, confidence and happiness. They need not be a burden to society and a shame to their families.