Counseling parents of slow-learning children

Abstract

The adjustment of retarded children is dependent on family attitudes and behavior, and the families are influenced by the social milieu in which they function. Parent counseling is a recent development and usually is the shared responsibility of the school psychologist, school social worker, and special class teacher. One of their major functions is to help parents, and the general public, recognize, understand, and accept mental retardation. It is important that parent counseling begin before the placement of slow-learning children in special education programs. Basic to success in parent counseling are patience, foresight, communication, objectivity, resourcefulness, and confidence.