People with Developmental Disabilities

The Task of their Grief Process  ( Part 1 )

The average person on the street when asked what death is, may have some clear understanding about it, and what death and grieving is about. In most cases the individuals with developmental disabilities does not  have a clue what death and grieving is, this all have to do with their thinking and developmental stage.

The individual(s) who is severely developmentally delayed  problems arise when he/she is trying to comprehend the process of death and grieving. People with developmental disabilities develop close ties to other individuals and will experience loss at various times during their life. It is not unusual for individuals with developmental disabilities to form attachments with their care providers, only to be separated from them bay a change in the care provider's job situation.

The Bereavement Counselor can help the individual(s) understand the process by being aware of their emotions and physical patterns, which should be observed by the care provider and passed on to the Bereavement Counselor. The other side of the coin are individuals with less severe developmental disabilities, that do have some knowledge but still cannot process death and grieving.

We must be very careful what is said when a disabled person loses someone dear to them, it is important to understand and help individuals with developmental disabilities go through the grieving process because they often have a hard time showing and dealing with grief.

People with developmental disabilities are protected by care providers,guardians and family members, although their intentions is to protect them from upsetting events they are kept from dealing with grief, it is often assumed that they have little or no awareness of the grieving process as it relates to the final loss.

Since each individual with developmental disabilities is different and unique, grief is often displayed and often misunderstood and is then discouraged, particularly when the emotional and behavioural expressions of grief are intense or very disruptive.

On the whole, individuals with developmental disabilities are frequently unprepared, when it comes to dealing with their grief, and usually they receive little or no assistance through the mourning process. in individuals with  mental disabilities  bereavement becomes apparent when the individual displays behaviour that implies they are upset over the separation from a person, pet, object or situation.

People grieve for different periods of time. developmental Impairments complicated the grieving process because the individual may experience greater difficulties in expressing emotions, adapting to change in relationships, and understanding between life and death. It is important that individuals with mental disabilities be allowed to express their grief and be encouraged to talk about their loss (given their ability to talk, using sign language, and by  using communication board.)

An individual who is developmentally disabled cannot understand what mourning is all about, it is then up to the care providers, family members or guardian to help the person understand the stages of mourning. If we take a look at the stages that need to be dealt with in order for the mourning process to begin it may be difficult for a individual with developmental disabilities to understand.


To Be Continued