A Place in the Family

A mentally handicapped child can add something positive and cohesive to many family units. Dr. Joan Bicknell, a child psychiatrist, wants us and the adoption societies to rethink our attitude towards these children and the parents who keep them at home. A young couple wanted to have a family. They Were happily married, with a stable financial background and no history of serious illness in either themselves or their relatives. There had been four pregnancies and from these only one child was alive and she was a mongol: two of the pregnancies resulted in miscarriages and the other in the stillbirth of a seriously malformed child. One can hardly imagine the despair of such a family, and yet they fully accepted their only surviving child, Susan, recognising the degree of her handicap and the prospects for her future. Fortunately she has developed into a sturdy, happy, affectionate child who started at the local junior training school when she was 3and is now doing well within her expected limitations. These parents have not indulged in self-pity but have been involved in providing for the mentally handicapped and in the promotion of mental health. Susan's mother is training as a teacher which enables her to keep the world of childhood in perspective and serve the needs of normal children. These parents would like a normal child and, rather than attempt a fifth pregnancy, they tried to adopt a baby. All their applications to adoption societies were unsuccessful. In the majority of cases they were not interviewed but received a letter telling them they were not considered suitable \ Zmi X4b~ Ten-year-old Rachel lives with her mother, Mrs. Peggy Burke, in a 'flat in Chiswick. She attends a junior training centre in Isleworth during the day.