Published Paper Details:

Children in India rely on family, joint family, caste, and community for support. However, weakening social structures mean outside agencies must step in when families can't provide care. Mental retardation, not a disease but a condition of delayed mental development, affects both physical and mental abilities. It slows learning, reduces understanding, and impacts speech, language, hearing, vision, and coordination. The American Association of Mental Retardation (AAMR, 1992) defines it as below-average intellectual functioning with deficits in adaptive behavior, evident from childhood. Addressing mental retardation requires holistic support to improve overall functioning and quality of life. The aim of the study is to assess the performance skills of mentally retarded children. The study was conducted with the children (30) those who were received more than 2 years training. Boys made up 70% of the sample, indicating more boys in these institutions possibly because parents were reluctant to send their daughters. The health status of other family members of mentally retarded children was examined, on paternal side 94% were found to be normal and 6% were found to be mentally retarded and on maternal side 86% were found to be normal and 14% were found to be mentally retarded. Mentally retarded children often struggle with cognitive skills, affecting their reading. The study concludes that teachers need to concentrate more on the moderately retarded children and need to introduce new parent training programs with appropriate schedule through implementation of effective mass media approach.