Publisher's Synopsis
In all the most beautiful creations of God there are mystical creations too.
One of them is the "Mentally Challenged" children, as it is indeed a challenge to live
with their anomalies. Mentally challenged children have a significant delay in
physical, cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and social development in comparison
with norms. Sometimes, the term is used for mental retardation, which is not a delay
in development but rather a permanent limitation. At least eight percent of all
children from birth to six years have developmental problems and delays in one or
more areas of development (Beirne-Smith, Patton & Kim, 2005).
Mentally challenged children are one of the most frequently encountered,
and most distressing disabilities in most industrialized and developing countries
worldwide (Stein, Durkin & Belmont, 1987; Mitchell, Zhuo & Watts, 1990; Kiely,
1998; Chen & Simeonsson, 2000). Among Indian population, two percent of them is
said to be suffering from some kind of mental disability. Mental retardation may
occur as part of a syndrome or broader disorder but is most commonly an isolated
finding (Donna, Holly & Grace, 2000).
