Communicating about loss and mourning: death education for individuals with mental retardation

The experimental curriculum that is the focus of this investigation, the Communicating About Loss & Mourning (CALM) Curriculum, was designed for and field-tested on a sample of verbally expressive adults with mental retardation. Findings from this pilot study involving the implementation of the Curriculum suggest that individuals with mental retardation have a need for and indeed can benefit from a formal program of death education and grief counseling.