The Forward Look: The Severely Retarded Child Goes to School. Bulletin, 1952, No. 11
Author: Hill, Arthur S.
Date: 1952-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Educational Finance,Learning Activities,Special Education,Teaching Methods,Severe Mental Retardation,Student Needs,Daily Living Skills,Self Efficacy,Institutional Characteristics,Classrooms,Student Evaluation,Parents,Clinical Diagnosis,Student Placement,Related Services (Special Education),Class Size,Housing,Transportation,Special Education Teachers,Agency Cooperation,Parent Participation,Public Schools

The provision of school services for severely mentally retarded children presents a problem of considerable importance in many States and local communities. In general the problem involves children whose extreme retardation prevents them from benefiting from the existing special classes for retarded pupils and who range downward in competence for learning to an undetermined level of ability. Whether the provision of school services for this type of child is a function of the public schools or of public welfare agencies has been debated in several States. It seems probable, however, that in many instances the public schools will extend their special education programs to meet the needs of many severely retarded children who demonstrate competence for personal adjustment and a limited degree of participation in useful and purposeful activity. There is no intention in this bulletin to place the responsibility for the operation of this program; that problem must be resolved by the various States and their local communities. However, for the guidance of school personnel who will be given the opportunity to develop training programs for severely retarded children, the bulletin will attempt to offer some basic understandings and suggestions for the establishment and maintenance of classes. There are many important questions to be answered in venturing into this relatively new field of service. How to identify the children who should be served, how to fit the extended provisions into existing special education programs and the total educational services of the schools, how to integrate the program with the medical and social welfare services of the community, how to select and plan classroom activities that meet the needs of the children, how to provide for parent participation and counseling, how to select teachers, and how to deal with administrative details relative to housing, pupil transportation, and financial support will need to be considered. Much of the material contained in this bulletin has been drawn from reports and observations of presently maintained classes and from the contributions of professional conferees who met at the Office of Education in June 1951. These materials are intended to serve as a general guide for the stimulation of thinking and experimentation in this field of educational service. The following are appended: (1) Program Schedule for Seguin Therapy Class, Salem School Department, Salem, Massachusetts; (2) Daily Training and Readiness Programs of the Pre-Special A Classes, Detroit Public Schools; (3) Progress Record Used by the Pre-Special A Classes of the Detroit Public Schools; and (4) Rating Scale Used by the Detroit Public Schools. (Contains 26 footnotes.) [Best copy available has been provided.]