Diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in mentally retarded children: a developmental model

Attempts have been made in recent years to discover the roots of psychiatric disorders in mentally retarded children by employing a developmental approach in which the child, not the handicap, is brought more clearly into focus. This paper provides a brief overview of the developmental model that has proven useful for the author in the psychiatric diagnosis of mentally retarded children. Application of this model to the treatment of mentally ill-mentally retarded children is also addressed.