THE UTILIZATION OF GROUP APPROACHES IN AIDING MENTALLY RETARDED ADULTS ADJUST TO COMMUNITY LIVING

Abstract

In preparing this paper, I was reminded of the story of the group of doctors, meeting at a professional conference, who took time out to ask each other about such unprofessional things, as the welfare of their families and children. One of them mentioned that recently he had been having quite a problem with his little girl-she had been eating garbage from his garbage pail. The focus of the discussion of course immediately changed, and each member of the group began to evaluate the problem in terms of his own frame of reference and interest. One felt that this was a definite indication of calcium deficiency, and went into great detail as to how such a deficiency could be corrected. Another approached it from an analytic point of view, and outlined the dynamics as he saw them. Of course each specialist disagreed with the others who had offered opinions, and the discussion went on for about a half hour