Originally posted by: sonambulo
Originally posted by: Modelworks
My sister is mentally retarded. She is 40 now and on the level mentally of about a 12 year old.
You treat him just like you would anyone else. Their mental level may be lower but that doesn't mean you have to be scared or cautious or act like they are someone you have to be careful what you say around. They may have a lower IQ but you may find they have much more to offer in other areas. My sister for instance cannot see bad in anyone, she always sees the good. Someone can yell at her and while she may cry from the experience, if you ask her an hour later about the person, she will say something like "Thats ok, she just cares a lot" . And when she says that she isn't saying it to just blow off the experience, she really means it.
The big thing to remember is they do not want to be treated any differently than anyone else, that to them is the worst insult.
Thank you.
Thank you. Finally some sense in this thread. There is so much misinformation it's disheartening.
Disclaimer: I've worked with the mentally handicapped for about 2 years at a previous job.
The quick and dirty answer: Treat them how you would treat anyone else. They are human beings just like everyone else.
There are different levels of retardation. I've worked with the full gambit of them as well. From the ones who can't bathe themselves or speak, to those who are full, productive members of society with a driver's license and a job. They are usually classified by their mental age. For instance, you would see that a person would have a physical age of 42, but a mental age of 16.
In the above example, you could carry on a conversation with them just like you would with any 16 year old. You aren't going to have conversations with them about quantum physics topics, but who would you have those types of conversations with besides a person who is studying it? See if you can find out his mental age from your sister and tailor your conversations accordingly.
As it was said above, the worst possible thing you could do is to treat them like they are "special." Just about every one of them want to be treated like a human being.
Edit: Another topic I saw come up in this thread is the cause of mental retardation.
Not all causes of mental retardation are hereditary. Some I've seen were born with Down's Syndrome. Very many I've seen have eaten lead paint chips as a child from old houses that still used lead paint.
