HOME ENVIRONMENTS OF MOTHERS WITH MENTAL-RETARDATION

A prospective study of 38 mothers with IQs less than 75 and 27 mothers with IQs over 85 who were also low income was conducted. This study w as designed to distinguish between children's developmental risk assoc iated with maternal disability and risk related primarily to poverty. Findings from administration of the HOME inventory showed that mothers with intellectual limitations had significantly lower scores, indicat ing greater developmental risk for their children due to environmental deprivation. Most of the variance between groups was found on the int eraction subscale. This suggests that strategies focused on interactio n will be beneficial in assisting mothers with intellectual limitation s in raising their children.