Public Eye Archives
When Mother May Not Know Best
It is estimated that 120,000 babies are born each year to mothers who are mentally retarded. The majority of these babies are perfectly normal because their mother's mental retardation is the result of an accident to the brain, not genetics. It is a challenging parent-child dynamic. The mentally retarded have IQ's less than 70, which means they have the mental capacity of a 12 year old. Children of mentally retarded mothers run the risk of becoming "culturally" retarded if they do not receive the proper intellectual and emotional affection. They are often slower than their peers, suffering from learning disabilities or attention disorders.
A new learning center called Esprit is breaking ground, however, helping to teach mentally retarded mothers to properly stimulate and support their children.
Esprit is located in Pittsburgh and is operated by The Arc of the United States, an organization on mental retardation.
For more information on the Esprit Learning center, call or visit their website at
www.arcallegheny.org
(412) 995-5000 ext.421 phone
(412) 995-5001 fax