Parents’ Views on the Development of Social Competencies in Their Mildly Intellectually Handicapped Adolescents

Abstract

This study represents part of a major project currently being conducted by a research team from the Faculty of Education at Monash University. The study involved the development and administration of an interview schedule to parents of mildly intellectually handicapped adolescents attending the South Yarra Work Preparation Centre, Melbourne. It was planned that the schedule would provide insights into home background influences and underlying parents' perceptions and expectations. This would determine the extent of the need for parental involvement and support and subsequent directions for programming.

The responses revealed that many trainees were still home-based and family dependent. Some parents were prolonging the dependence of their young people rather than reinforcing the independent living skills training at the Centre. Parents were aware of important deficiences in the lives of their young people, such as lack of friends and leisure time interests, but needed guidance in helping with these. There was a special need for supportive contact with families during the trainees' first weeks in employment.