ROLE OF PARENTS IN THE EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF MENTALLY RETARDED LEARNERS

Parents can play a vital role in the training and development of children with intellectual disabilities. In training of functional skills among children with disabilities parents help a lot in achieving target goals. The purpose of the study was to study the role of parent's involvement in education on the academic performance of the mentally retarded learners. Mental retardation is a problem with impact on the whole spectrum of domesticconcerns confronting the nation today. The education of students with mental retardation has an interesting history. Mental retardation is a condition characterized by low general intellectual functioning and deficits in adaptive behavior Ndurumo (1993). The American Association on Mental Retardation definition state that mental retardation is a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills. This disability originate before age 10.(Luckasson et al., 2002,p.1). All children are unique individuals and stereotypes or suggestions certain children are a “type” must be avoided. Deborah(1992) notes that, children with intellectual challenges exist in our communities and we should accept the challenges of living and working with them. The parents are the first and most important teachers for children, as they play the role of teaching during interaction with children (Lin, 1996). Epstein (1992) also pointed out that, the family has an important influence upon children as they stay at home much longer than at school as well as more in-family interaction than schooling. Now the present conceptual papers based on objectives with (i) To understand the basic characteristics of mentally retarded learners'. (ii) To understand the role of parents in education for mentally retarded students. (iii) To discuss the Some Differences Common to Educable Retarded Pupils.