Retarded child's parents face special problems
When people think of retarded children they often
forget another side of the issue: the child's parents. In
today's Close Up, staff writer Tim Anderson
examines what it is like to be the parent of a retarded
child.
by Tim Anderson
"Finding out about Elizabeth was really a shock.
We had been expecting a nice, normal baby. It was
hard on us, but I know we could never give her away.
I could never do that."
Elizabeth is a 2-year-old mongoloid child and
that's her father Terrance Schmitz, talking.
"There are few things in life like that feeling when
you find out your child is retarded," Ms. Schmitz
said. "It always happens to someone else and you just
don't think it will ever happen to you."
Elizabeth's apparent mongolism was discovered
the day after she was born, Schmitz said. "It was
really rough for both of us, seeing that nice, little
baby lying there, and then finding out she's
retarded."
The Schmitz's then went to Omaha where a
genetic work up was done. Three weeks later the
mongolism was verified.
"The doctor told us what was wrong and what our
alternatives were," Schmitz said. "We could keep
Elizabeth as our own child, or we could give her up
and let her be institutionalized."
"We could never have done that, but some couples
do. They just write it off as a bad chapter."
According to Schmitz, mongolism is a form of
clinical mental retardation fated from the moment of
conception. The trait runs in Schmitz's family. He,his
father and three brothers are all carriers.
Schmitz has 45 chromosomes, instead of the
complete 23 pairs. Elizabeth has 47; the extra one is
responsible for the retardation.
"Elizabeth is going to the human development
program at LOMR now," Ms. Schmitz said. LOMR is
the Lancaster Office of Mental Retardation. There
Elizabeth is instructed in putting puzzles together,
feeding herself and other daily skills such as walking
up stairs, Mr. Schmitz said.
UP
Although Elizabeth someday could be ready for a
normal school, her father said it is doubtful that she
will ever attend regular classes.
Schmitz is student teaching in special education at
Lincoln's Hayward School where he works with
trainable retarded children. He said some pioqrams
allow a retarded child to go to a specific class, such as
physical education, and then return to her special
education classroom.
Schmitz and his wife said they are not overly
worried about problems with Elizabeth as she grows
older, such as her desire for a driver's license or
privileges given to normal young people.
"For some reason, it seems that mongoloid
children tend to stick around home mo re," fie said.
"The kids I teach never seem to get together on
weekends and play records or anything."
Ms. Schmitz agreed: "If those pioblems do arise,
we'll have to meet them at that time, There's really
no sense in worrying about them now,"
When the Schmit's weie told of Elizabeth's
condition, their doctor recommended that they get in
touch with the parents of othei retaided children so
that they might find some insight into possible
problems.
"We found out that having a daughter who was a
mongoloid was nothing compared to the problems
some people have," Schmitz said.
Besides the added concern, parents of retarded
children often incur special costs foi tlx; treatment of
their child,
However, because Schmit is a student, much of
the additional cost for Elizabeth was "somehow
written off."
The Schmitz's have anothei daughter, Jennifer, 0
months, who is normal. Before Jennifer was born,
tests were run on the fetus to see if it was to be a
normal baby.
The test, amino synthesis, is foolproof in finding
mongolism and other forms of mental retardation,
Schmitz said.
If the test had shown the baby also was to be a
mongoloid, the Schmitz's would have faced a serious
decision-to go ahead and have another retarded child
or to terminate the pregnancy.
"I really don't think we could have gone through
with having another retarded child," Schmitz said.
Ms. Schmitz said if they had planned on having
another retarded child "there would have been no
reason for the test at all."
The Schmitz's said they love Elizabeth very much,
and, as Schmitz puts it: "There is a certain lovliness
in Elizabeth that you won't find in other children.
There's an innocence and simplicity, almost a
reflection of God.
"When she was born, I went to the library and
checked out all the books I could find on mental
retardation in order to find out as much as I could
about it. We had a public health nurse stop by, too,"
he said.
"But most important was what we learned from
the other parents. We never got any 'I'm so sorry for
you' type reaction from them, because they all knew
what was really going on."
Depending on her abilities, the Schmitz's plan to
keep Elizabeth at home until she can be independent,
or, at least "partially independent."
"We'd like her to be able to live alone, without us,
and be able to have a job of her own really doing
something," Ms. Schmitz said.
"We want Elizabeth to be taxpayer rather than a
tax shelter," Schmitz said.
( L. I
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rraiW? WIT Wtrm m
Wednesday, april 11, 1973
Passover Holiday
The first and second Seders will take
place on the nights of Monday, April 16
and Tuesday, April 17. Members of the
Jewish campus community who desire
home hospitality should contact Rabbi
Goldstein at 423-5436.
FRESHMEN!
Have you been thinking about Ai my KO K ".' I)id
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year? Now is your chance to catch up Id ymir
classmates. lake Military Science I dunne. the
Summer Session, lor in for mat ion., call 472-24n.S.
Or drop by M & N I I 0. Anytime.
daily nebraskan
pac 3
