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With this introductory and explanatory statement, I now can address myself to the specific topic the Program Committee has assigned to me -- "Preparation of the Retarded Individual for Adult Living." You will now readily see why I first of all have to stress that in pursuing this topic we must avoid starting with the traditional, preconceived notions as to what retarded persons cannot do, cannot achieve. Instead, we should start positively with regard to the kind of life a retarded person should be expected to lead, and the starting point for that would be the life pattern of the average person in your own country, be it in the city or in a rural area, in Jamaica, in Trinidad, or in Barbados, depending on the type of person for whom we are supposed to plan -- and in this case this means his or her potential functional level, considering the degree of disability.

Let me give some specifics. As adults, retarded persons should master a higher level of self care, no longer just limited to toileting, washing, and dressing, but extending to such things as preparation of simple meals, awareness of time and time limits, understanding of health needs (proper clothing, basic diet, alertness to potential danger), and the ability to get about (whether it is in the immediate neighborhood, limited to traffic signals, or more extensive travel involving public transportation). They should develop an ability to communicate with others, and while we automatically think here of the fluent use of language, we have learned that individuals who have no speech at all can make themselves understood and can actually interact socially with others.

An important point in social relations with others is to learn the proper form of addressing and speaking with adults, and that of course implies that we take care of teaching this by example, by teaching retarded adults a different type of language use than what was appropriate for them when they were children. For ourselves, we take it for granted that the informality of endearing language we use within the family is not appropriate when dealing with others in public. Yet this cardinal rule of social conduct is almost always overlooked in dealing with retarded persons. As a result, they do not learn to use appropriate language with others in the community, and this faulty speech pattern immediately sets them apart -- quite unnecessarily -- as inadequate/ peculiar, or, to be more precise, childish persons.

As I was preparing myself for my appearance today, I came across a statement in which a colleague of ours set down, clearly and succinctly, provisions for the development of acceptable behavior on the part of severely and profoundly mentally retarded residents in an institution. She said that towards that end, such individuals should

o live in as normal a way as possible, with their own living space and in a small group,

o be recognized as individuals; use of proper name, enjoyment of one's possessions, including one's own clothing, identify with

one's family, etc.,

o live in a bisexual world,

o experience a normal daily rhythm (which does not imply a rigid time schedule), utilizing a variety of environments (for sleeping, eating, leisure, etc.),

o eat in a small group,

o receive special education and training in all areas of personal and social development,

o have the opportunity to try out all appropriate activities of daily living (household chores, handicrafts, and work activities),

o have leisure pursuits which are individualized and differentiated according to the time of year,

o have the opportunity to interact with a variety of people including their peers, and

o be able to choose between different ways of spending their free time.

While this specific list was written for retarded persons in institutions, it does not contain a single item that would not be of equal significance to mentally retarded young adults living with their own family or in a group home. Much of this, of course, one would hope school will begin to teach, but experience has taught us how much of this can also be managed at home, particularly since some of the newer training techniques in behavior modification have been adapted for use by parents in the family home.

In recent decades, behaviorists and educators working in the general field of human development have become very much interested in the concept of the peer group and its practical application. Perhaps one of the most exciting new developments in our field has been the introduction of this concept to strengthen programs of preparing mentally retarded young people for adult living. First in Sweden, then in other countries, a definite effort has been made to assist mentally retarded young people to organize themselves, not just for social activities, important as this is, but beyond such a program. The retarded young people learn to interact constructively with each other, learn to express themselves, learn how to carry on a discussion, to debate an issue, to formulate and state their own views, interests, and opinions, and to arrive as a group in an orderly process at certain recommendations. In some instances this has been done particularly successfully when the retarded young people had an opportunity to interact and meet with non-handicapped young people, and young persons with other types of handicap. The results have been totally astounding and, as a matter of fact, so surprising to even seasoned practitioners in our field that questions were raised whether indeed this was done by the retarded young people themselves, or suggested to them by their elders. This is not surprising, considering our past beliefs, our past images of the retarded person. It parallels a similar phenomenon: encountering a group of retarded young people neatly dressed, their hair well groomed, their behavior inconspicuous, people simply refuse to believe that these could be severely retarded persons, because of the past association of severe retardation with clothing appropriate for persons much younger in years, disheveled appearance, a running nose and drooling mouth, a silly grin, poor posture, ungainly obesity, and strange mannerisms -- all characteristic of an inappropriate upbringing and a neglect that would not be tolerated for a non-handicapped person.