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Show Utah Foundation More balanced program needed for Utah's Mentally Retarded Utah is seeking a balanced program for treatment of mental retardation, utilizing both the specialized institution and the modern approach of community-based community-based treatment in as nearly as possible "normal" surroundings, according to Utah Foundation, the private, nonprofit public service agency. Spectacular results have been achieved in some areas, where Utah's program is recognized as one of the best in the nation, the Foundation noted in a research report released this week. At the same time, it is also recognized that major problems remain unsolved. Blind-deaf retardates, once thought to be hopelessly beyond reach, have been taught to care for thier personal needs to an extent not thought possible until very recently. The Utah State Training School at American Fork, the state's specialized institution for the mentally retarded, has been considered as a regional center for training of the deaf-blind on the basis of demonstrated results. School officials, however, believe that the needs of Utah residents in this field should be fully met before the prgram is expanded to accept patients from other states. Basis of breakthroughs in the training of severely retarded persons once thought to be un-trainable un-trainable is a new approach which recognizes that mentally retarded persons have a much greater capacity for learning than was previously thought, but that their rate of learning is much slower than that of normal people. Limitless patience on the part of trained workers, with a very high teacher-pupil ratio, is the basis of the success achieved, the Foundation reported. Utah has also been a leader in the development of programs to return mildly retarded persons to the community and near-normal near-normal life, the Foundation reported. "Group homes", where small numbers of mildly retarded adults live together under the supervision of specially trained house parents, were set up by the Utah State training School in 1970. As far as is known, these were the first such homes in the nation, and the concept has been copied by many other states. Private organizations, with financial support furnished through Utah's Division of Family Services, are now operating group home programs. It is estimated that about 3 percent of the population of the United States is mentally retarded, although the figure has not been scientifically established, the Foundation reported. This would indicate that there are six million retardates in the nation, about 33,000 of them in Utah. Mental retardation may result from birth defects or injuries or from hereditary factors, but the cause of many other cases is unknown. Retarded children may be born to parents of high intelligence whose other children are normal. Some potential cases of mental retardation can be prevented by modern scientific techniques, which identify the causitive factor and provide effective treatment immediately after birth. Modern medicine, however, adds to the total number of retarded persons to be cared for, by keeping alive many infants with brain injuries or congenital defects who . previously would have died shortly after birth. The cost of treating mental retardation is steadily rising, and is expected to continue to do so. The growing over-all population, the identification and treatment of a larger percentage of retardates, and the rapid rise in the cost of all medical treatment treat-ment all contribute to the expanding ex-panding cost of treating mental retardation. The budget for Utah's Training School has grown from $2.7 million in fiscal 19611 to almost $9 million for fiscal 1976. Programs conducted by Family Services Division and developed over the past 18 months received appropriations of $1.9 million for fiscal 1976. The State Department of Education, under terms of a law enacted in 1969, provides schooling for all handicapped children (including the mentally retarded) either in regular classes or in special classes or schools. Funds for the program are provided through the School Finance Act. Approximately $19 million went into school programs for the handicapped not restricted to the mentally retarded last year. Retardates of pre-school and post-school ages are relatively neglected, the Foundation reported, although programs to meet their needs are being developed and expanded by both state agencies and private organizations. A major unsolved problem is care for the most profoundly retarded. At the Training School, they are placed in larger groups, with a lower attendant-patient ratio than for patients who fit into the training program. Some authorities and concerned parents believe that these children could be placed in smaller groups and given more individual care, with parents financially able to do so sharing in the cost. |