Services for the mentally handicapped children and adults: Their development and current provisions in England, Germany and Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The research traces the development of medical, educational and social services provided for the mentally handicapped children and adults in England, Germany and Saudi Arabia, and describes the current situation regarding such services in the three countries. The work considers the different social aspects of mental handicap, such as attitudes towards the mentally handicapped, and problems facing families with mentally handicapped children. It also outlines the different methods of educating and training people with mental handicap, and the development of normalisation concept. The work describes a case study of a special private centre for the mentally handicapped children in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and highlights the development of this project in the context of the special cultural and social circumstances in Jeddah. The writer concludes that a great deal of progress has been recently made, especially in the second half of this century, in the field of providing different aspects of services to the mentally handicapped. However, the study confirms that there is still a significant amount of work to be done both by public and private sectors, in order to meet the special needs of the mentally handicapped people, and to achieve their integration into community life.