A guide to typical developmental issues impacting adolescents with mental retardation

This dissertation reviews literature related to mental retardation and adolescence. The literature review resulted in the development of a practical guide for families of adolescents who have been diagnosed with mild to moderate mental retardation. The guide covers typical developmental issues that these adolescents will be facing. Current literature on people with mental retardation generally focuses on childhood and adulthood and bypasses the important stage of adolescence. Often disregarded are the emotional, relational, and biological factors that are affecting a person who is approaching adulthood. There is a gap in the literature when these adolescents are grappling with both typical issues of adolescence as well as how these issues interact with their disability. This stage of development is important as it sets the stage in determining the quality of life these individuals will have in adulthood.; In addition, much of the literature focuses on the impact of mental retardation on the families of the individual or on the clinicians treating the individual, as opposed to focusing on the impact it has on the diagnosed individual. In contrast, this dissertation focuses on the experiences of diverse adolescents who are living with mental retardation and what families should be aware of when helping these adolescents navigate this complex time in their lives. This guide employs a non-pathological perspective when discussing these issues and serves to normalize the experiences of adolescents with mental retardation. While this guide is practical, it is often general in its discussions of the topics important to adolescents and their families. In addition to possibly being too general for some families, it may also be too technical in its language for some families utilizing this resource. It would likely be helpful to continue to build on this guide by more comprehensively discussing specific ideas of what parents can do to facilitate growth and knowledge in each of the subject areas.