Mental Subnormality—Whose Baby?

Firstly, I should make it clear that the use of the word "Baby", in the title of this paper, refers to mental, not chronological, age. In other words, I am not restricting myself only to a consideration of mentally subnormal children. Nevertheless, it has some meta-phorical meaning in so far as we are discussing a problem whose unpopular aspects are frequently apt to be bounced on to someone else. It is an ironical characteristic of this "child" in countries all over the world, that, though actual parentage may be uncertain, there are a large number of hopeful father-figures all anxious to control some aspect of its destiny It may, therefore, be useful to consider what particular qualifications each of these has to adopt this infant speciality. The fact that, at least in the higher grade children, scholastic disability seems to be the most pressing problem, suggests that educators and teachers have the most fundamental role to play. It has certainly been demonstrated that, by special teaching methods, in E.S.N, and hospital schools, some degree of mental retardation can be largely overcome, and, with some patients, suitably planned education in their formative years can be the vital factor in the ultimate usefulness of their lives. There are many patients, who, however, because of emotional or physical factors, low grade or age, do not respond to these methods, and there are social, medical, rehabilitation and research problems that would not be dealt with 58 *