Q and A:  Mental Retardation

1. I am very uncomfortable when people refer to my daughter as "retarded" since it connotes that she is "less than" or delayed in some way...How do you feel about this word?

2. My 6 year old son has still not developed any speech (some single words but most are unintelligible). The neurologists & pediatrician don't have any diagnosis other than Developmental Delay which seems like a cop-out.

3.  Helping our children cope with being different "My son is a very gregarious little Forrest Gump who does not understand why his life is so hard. He desperately wants friends and has lately begun to be quite emotional and on several occasions has told me that his life is not worth living because he is so different and miserable."

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Last modified: 05/06/07