The handbook focuses on ways in which local Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) groups can meet the needs of young parents with retarded children. The importance of recruiting young parents is stressed, and perceptions of these parents toward the ARC are considered. Local ARC units are advised about ways to find young parents in the community, including using brochures with which parents can check their child's development, offering to provide inservice training on mental retardation to professionals in the community, and setting up a speakers' bureau. Programmatic thrusts, such as the "pilot parent" effort (which trains experienced parents of children with handicaps to work with parents of newly diagnosed children), educational advocacy, respite care, and recreational programs. Additional services developed by ARCs include toy lending libraries, adaptive equipment exchanges, and parent libraries. (CL)