Adolescents are able to use ad vanced primary or junior materi al but it must also be geared to their social maturity and needs. In their religious understanding they are able to conceive of God as a Spirit, identify Jesus as the Son of God and as their Saviour, understand the meaning of sin and the consequences of sin, rec ognize the Bible as a special book and read and learn some o f its In most cases, it will be known in infancy and early childhood that this child is retarded. This type is labeled trainable rather than educable as he is unable to learn academic skills. He can learn how to care for himself, make social adjustments in the family and neighborhood, and achieve some economic usefulness. A preadolescent may profit from a program o f Christian edu cation at the nursery or kinder garten level. Kindergarten or primary level may be used with adolescents. The religious concep tions of adult trainables are still comparable to those o f children. In teaching Christianity to this group it is difficult to measure tangible results. Feelings o f love, joy and acceptance through the personal relationship o f teacher and pupil can be accomplished however. Note This discussion of the retarded has been taken from the paper “ Special Learning: The Retarded Class,” A paper presented to The National Association of Directors of Christian Education, Septem ber 2, 1968, Anaheim, California. If you would like a copy o f the paper in its entirety covering specifics of each classification and teaching, learn ing suggestions, p lea se send a self-addressed stamped (140) envelope to . . . content for themselves. The Trainable Mentally Retarded Child
day I go about mourning . . . I am utterly spent and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart” (Psa. 38:6, 8). There are two possible direc tions the parents may take: the negative direction of fear, flight and failure, or the positive direc tion o f acknowledgment of the problem, acceptance and action. The ministry of the church, your church, may be the decisive fac tor at this point. Who are the retarded? What are they like? How are they classified? In what way do they learn? These are the questions that confront us as we begin a ministry to this group of individ uals. There are three main classi fications of retarded. The educa- ble retarded, the trainable retard ed and the totally dependent re tarded person. This child is one who is unable to profit sufficiently from the regular school or church program because o f slow mental develop ment. In most cases the retarda tion is not noticed during infancy but appears later on. Special classes can help the child to learn some o f the academic skills such as reading, writing and arithme tic. By the age o f sixteen, the child can probably acquire second, third or fourth grade achieve ment. He can learn to work and become self-supporting. Because of the disparity be tween mental and chronological age it is necessary to make an adjustment in the level at which the church’s educational program is geared. A six to ten year old probably has a mental age ranging from three to six and a half. They will benefit from religious training on a kindergarten or beginning pri mary level. Preadolescent (ten to twelve) will have a mental age ranging from six and a half to nine years and can work with material at the primary level. The Educable Mentally Retarded Child
true with the retarded. Until just recently the church has neglected this group. Within the next dec ade there are indications that this deficiency in Christian education programming will be eliminated. (In the past the church has also failed to provide for the blind, deaf, and the gifted I) Every individual is entitled to a Christian education. The re tardate is no different than any one else. He is a person and he needs to be treated and considered as a human being by others. He has a soul and has human value in the sight of God. If we are convinced of this our programs should reflect this fact. The ministry of the church to the retarded is two-fold. There is the ministry to the retardate him self. In many cases with the edu- cable retarded the individual is quite able to make a commitment to Christ as Lord and Saviour. Many trainables realize that Je sus is God’s Son and God loves them. It is not up to us to judge who is and who is not capable of making the decision of becoming a member of the family of God through the acceptance of His Son. These people can learn ac cording to the potential that they have and the church must provide them with the opportunity of knowing God through Christ. The second phase o f the church’s ministry is to the family. This ministry includes providing a program for the retardate and counseling with the parents con cerning the problems and feel ings that they have. With some parents, this ministry will begin children do not appear retarded the day the child is born. Other at birth and the condition may not be detected until school age. Parents react in different ways to the fact that their child is re tarded. There is a feeling of shock, surprise and grief. Often the emotional reactions o f shame and guilt constitute the first chal lenge to the parents. The Psalmist expresses very adequately the feelings of these people. “All the
N orman W right % King’s Business
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JULY/AUGUST, 1969
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