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Special Education

Notes the false assumption that the Down’s syndrome individual would be severely or profoundly
retarded. Custodial care is seldom warranted unless severe medical, psychological or social
problems occur.
The greatest general development is found in Down’s Syndrome individuals who are reared
at home and well stimulated. Optimum programme occurs when facilities are positive and
training begins early and comprehensive.
Translocation is common. It occurs because of faulty cell division in which one chromosome is
attached to another. In Mosaicism, the cell receives an extra twenty first chromosomes, but
there are few abnormalities in tliis form of Down’s Syndrome.
(2) Environment-Exogenous Behaviours
A combination of genetic and environmental actors is responsible for familial type of mental
retardation. Early emotional deprivation and disturbed parent-child relationships are some of
the potent factors associated with mental retardation of this type. Emotionally disturbed children
are considered to be oversensitive to psychological stress and vitamin deficiency is likely to
causes oversusceptibility to infection.

Down’ in 1865, was the first to use the term mongolian idiocy to name a particular
form of mental retardation, now referred to ass mongolism or Down’s Syndrame.

Self Assessment
2. Multiple Choice Questions
Choose the correct option:
(i) .............. is not a process of growth and development?
(a) Developmental defects (b) Metabolic defects
(c) Genetic or heredity level (d) Cultural defects
(ii) In non-disjunction Down's syndrome one pair of genes failed to separate at conception,
resulting in an extra or .............. chromosomes.
(a) 45th (b) 47th (c) 49th (d) 46th
(iii) .............. is not found in Down’s syndrome child.
(a) Palpebral fissures (b) Oblique and narrow laterally
(c) Speckled iris (d) Filariasis
14.3 Problems of MR Children

Generally, there is no significant difference between normal children and mentally retarded children
with regard to there psychical health, but special psychological difficulties for retardates are found
in day-to-day life. These are as follows:
(1) Mild depression, feeling of worthlessness and helplessness are experienced.
(2) As a retardate grows older, he becomes lonely and unable to adjust in society. Evidence
points towards the frustration of psychological and social needs which predispose some
retardates to feel angry and rebellious.
(3) Parents of such children develop a guilt complex. Parental overprotection is a glaring example.
Sometimes they do not encourage self-help; rather they continue to dress and feed the child
up to an advanced age. As a result, this type of behaviour encourages a dependent style of
interaction in the child. Mainly overprotection and denial of the parents invite adjustment
difficulties of such type of children.

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