A study of the San Joaquin County Schools\u27 Education program for parents of severely mentally retarded children

In 1951, Education Code section 6903 was passed by the California State Legislature making it permissive for school departments to organize and conduct educational and training programs for severely mentally retarded children. In 1953 the first such program was established by the office of the San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools. SInce that date, three additional programs have been added to serve these children in rural areas of the aforementioned county. The program is designed to serve mentally deficient, or severely mentally retarded children. “Mental deficiency can be defined in the socio-economic sense as a permanent condition of mental nondevelopment, arrest, deficiency or deterioration existing form an early age and which always affects the intelligence, judgment, and the capacity for social adjustment, and economic efficiency.” However, as previously stated, the parents objectives are not the primary concern of this study. The investigator feels that these groups exist and carry on with an organized program for additional reasons, which are: (1) To aid in the adjustment of the parents to the shock of having a retarded child by giving a sense of belonging, and identification to the people who have the same problems.; (2) To have a channeling agent for anxieties.; (3) To develop greater understanding, acceptance for, and cooperation with the school program. Such understanding, acceptance, and cooperation implies that the parents will be inclined to follow through with continued training of the child at home