Severe mental retardation in children from socially disadvantaged families.

Children receiving ESN(S) education, attending special day schools, and living at home, were categorized into those whose handicap had been medically recognized in infancy and those of unknown aetiology, 'non-specific'. Information obtained from interviews with their families was used to identify a subgroup of those who were relatively socially disadvantaged. Both factors, medical and social, are shown to have a significant effect on early provisions for special needs. The non-specific cases from disadvantaged families tended to have been recognized at a later age than the rest; their parents had less information, less access to services, and less contact with others who could provide aid and support. It is argued that the theoretical model which distinguishes pathogenic and subcultural aetiologies of severe mental subnormality is inappropriate. It may be wrongly applied by fieldworkers, especially those serving families with a developmentally backward preschool child. The result may discriminate against socially disadvantaged families with a child whose handicap is not medically diagnosed.