***Here I have to give stress on the special responsibility of parents with an intellectually disabled child. These children being naturally slow learners, parents should assist them with love and patience in preparing lessons or in drawing and singing so that they can at least follow what is going on in the class. Parents should also teach them about personal hygiene, use of toilet, taking food, dressing, social behaviour and etiquette, and so on.***

WITH the universal acceptance of the concept of basic human rights, experts and social reformers are getting more and more concerned with the physically and mentally disabled people who are generally considered as burdenson the society. They have all along been neglected because of their inability to participate in normal social and economic activity, and very often fall prey to harassment and disgrace. Disability may be of different types, such as, visual, hearing, speech, physical, intellectual and multiple impairment. In this article, I will dwell upon intellectual disability in the Bangladesh context.

From a study by HANDICAP International in collaboration with NFOWD. Bangladesh, il is seen that 5.6% of the people in Bangladesh have a disability of one kind or another. Among the persons with

disabilities, the percentage share of intellectual disability is 6.7. Intellectual disability is not a disease. It is characterised by both a significantly below average score on a test of mental ability or intelligence, and by limitations in the ability to function in areas of daily life. The deficiencies are demonstrated in communication, self-care, getting along in social situations and school activities. Intellectual disability is sometimes referred to as a cognitive disability, or mental retardation. Retardation may be classified in different categories -- borderline (IQ 70-79), mild (IQ 50-69), moderate (IQ 35-49). severe (IQ 20-34), profound (IQ under 20). In Bangladesh, the maximum intellectual disability is seen under the moderate category.

Causes of intellectual disability are not precisely known, but experts hold that it can be caused by injury, diseases such as meningitis, or a brain abnormality, which can happen before a child is born

or during childhood. Some causes known are genetic condition, and infections or birth defects that affect the brain, such as cortical atrophy. Other known causes are Down's Syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, and fragile X syndrome. In fact, intellectual disability may start any time before a child reaches the age of 18 years. Under expert handling and care, those in mild and moderate categories may improve enough to enter the mainstream of human activity.

The world today is much more aware of the problems of disabled people than before. The UN Child Rights Convention clearly states that the disabled child must have effective access to education, training, health care services, rehabilitation services, preparation for employment, and recreation opportunities in a manner conducive to his/her achieving the fullest possible social integration and Individual development, including his/her cultural and

spiritual development Bangladesh government has also initiated positive measures in this line. Many NGOs and voluntary organisations have taken up projects for the development and rehabilitation of the disabled people.

To improve the condition of the disabled people, there are now special schools, homes, vocational training programs, cultural and sports activities, social awareness programs, training of the parents and social workers, community based rehabilitation programs, and a few more such agendas. Apart from these institutional facilities, parents play the most vital role in supporting the development of the intellectually disabled persons. After the birth of a child, the parents should carefully observe the behavioural and intellectual level of the child, and if they find any unusual behaviour pattern they must consult a specialist.

It has to be assumed that they will not feel ashamed of the retarded child or feel disgraced in society; they must take care of the child like their other normal children. Intellectually disabled children must be allowed to interact freely with other children in order to develop adaptability, and get on well and cooperate with fellow beings. Social deprivation aggravates their mental state and makes them incapable of mixing with

people when they grow up. Parents should not forget that every person grows up in relation to other people, which means that every individual is a social being, that is, socio-individual human being.

Our field experience shows that many parents are not at all aware of the intellectual disability of their children. Among those who know, many are found to be unsympathetic and impatient in dealing with tins type of children. They even feel shy of facing society. Many think that their responsibility ends with sending these children to specialised schools and homes, and a good number prefer to keep them confined at home. Titis sort of treatment creates a psychopathic gulf between the disabled children and the parents, which proves most harmful in the long run. The seeds of development and improvement lie in the affection and close cooperation of the parents, but here many parents appear to be failing.

Here I have to give stress on the special responsibility of parents with an intellectually disabled child. These children being naturally slow learners, parents should assist them with love and patience in preparing lessons or in drawing and singing so that they can at least follow what is going on in the class. Parents should also teach them about personal hygiene, use of

toilet, taking food, dressing, social behaviour and etiquette, and so on. They should take these children out with them on outdoor visits.

As the child proceeds to adolescence, parental responsibility turns more critical. Specialised schools, homes and institutes are there to impart training, but parents have the most important role in this regard. They have to continuously support them so that they can function as independently as possible with self-confidence and a feeling of solidarity, both individually and socially in their integration in society. The parents are the guides of these impaired children, without whose direct involvement and cooperation no development program, however promising, will bring any fruitful result.

There is no denying that parental responsibility in such cases involves a great deal of sacrifice, patience and commitment, and parents do everything for the sake of their children and the society. We too have our role to play as social beings We have to remember what Dr. Everett Koop, Surgeon General of the United States, once said: "We're not just fighting for this baby, but for the principle that every life is sacred."

Badrum Nawazish Is Executive Member and Dhaka Chief of SIVUS, Bangladesh, for the disabled