Fieldwork Preparation for Entrance into Mental Retardation Practice

Abstract

A beginning has been made in regarding the mentally retarded as people of worth and dignity in our society. As the social work profession endeavors to find ways to bring significant service to the retarded, social work education must respond and prepare practitioners for this specialization. The student's preparation must include substantial cognitive background, as well as emotional maturity and the ability to objectify and quantify case movement in extremely small steps. Basic concepts and principles of helping people are briefly reviewed as they relate to work with the mentally retarded.