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Historical

The first serious study of mental retardation came from two French physicians, Dr. Jean Itard and Dr. Edward Seguin, in the first decades of the nineteenth century. The first specific step in the United States was the opening of an institution in 1848, now known as the Walter E. Fernald State School, followed shortly by institutions established in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut, and Kentucky. In 1876 a group of superintendents founded what is today known as the American Association on Mental Deficiency. High optimism regarding the effectiveness of institutional treatment prevailed in those early days and emphasis was on a forward-looking educational regime. When it later became clear that the high expectations could not be fulfilled, a strong counterreaction followed and the institutional programs were reduced largely to custodial care.

An event of lasting significance was the publication in 1877 of a study, by a volunteer welfare worker, of "the Jukes," a presumably degenerate family spreading illiteracy, disease, crime, and pauperism through the generations. Twenty-five years later Dr. Henry H. Goddard published his famous history of the "Kallikak family," reemphasizing what he saw as the dangers to society from inherited feeble-mindedness, and this study remained standard fare in our colleges and universities until the comparatively recent past, confirming the pessimistic attitude toward the feeble-minded and pointing to such measures as segregation and eugenic sterilization. While the Kallikak study is now thoroughly discredited, Goddard's leadership at the Training School at Vineland, and in particular his introduction of the Binet test to America, have earned him just and lasting fame.

A hopeful note was introduced with the establishment of special classes for retarded or backward children, first in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1896, followed in quick succession by large cities throughout the country. These classes were in general for the mildly retarded, then still known as morons; and it was not until the 1920's that there were introduced in a few localities classes for the moderately retarded, now called "trainables."

Parallel with the establishment of special classes, new developments occurred in the institutional field, as it became evident that the then prevailing policies of institutionalization would lead to more serious overcrowding. So-called colonies were organized for the dual purpose of moving part of the institutional population to cheaper quarters in rural areas, and of utilizing these people for remunerative work, first on farms and later in other work situations such as domestic work for the women. More recently the name "colony" has been given in several states to new residential facilities for the mentally retarded, but this is not related to the original colonies developed in various states. Somewhat later a system of parole was developed, and in the 1930's New York State pioneered with family care for the mentally retarded after the system had worked our successfully as an extension of the state hospital care for the mentally ill. Finally, one negative development should be mentioned in these brief historical comments. When the child guidance clinic movement came into being in the 1920's, mentally retarded children were included in the program; however, the clinics' attention focused more and more on the emotionally disturbed and mentally ill child, and soon retarded children found themselves excluded altogether from any of these services. At the time of World War II the field of mental retardation was seriously lagging as compared with developments in other areas of health, welfare, and education. There were exceptions to this in research, residential training, and public schooling, but these were isolated islands of excellence in a field that was as much neglected by budget directors as by institutions of higher education; as much by the related professions as by the general citizen.

The Role of the Parent Movement

In 1950, groups of parents of retarded children which had formed during the preceding few years came together in Minneapolis to establish the National Association of Parents and Friends of Mentally Retarded Children. The name of this organization was changed in 1952 to the National Association for Retarded Children (NARC). Within a few years this organization gained an influence in its sphere of work without parallel in the history of voluntary organizations in the welfare and health field. Although deeply concerned with the welfare of their own children, the leadership of NARC showed great wisdom in focusing on broad, long-range objectives. Realizing that significant improvement could only come from enlisting the aid of federal agencies in a nationwide attack on the problem of mental retardation in all its ramifications, the Association developed and presented to Congressional leaders a forward-looking program designed to overcome the long neglect of the field. At the same time, the Association recognized that one of the most serious weaknesses inhibiting progress in mental retardation was the lag in research and the scarcity of outstanding professional leadership. A scientific research advisory board was created to move forward these areas; and in 1955 a major three-year survey was launched to take stock of research activities in the field of mental retardation and to draw up a blue print of research needs. (2)