This booklet sets out guidelines for the education of children and young people with severe to moderate mental handicap. Chapter I, "Where To Begin," discusses play, its importance for the child, how to assess the child through observation of play, and finding the child's developmental level of play. Chapter II, "Areas of Development," examines mobility, coordination of hand and eye, language and social development, and self-help. Chapter III, "How To Encourage Learning," focuses on choosing realistic objectives, breaking tasks down into small steps, backward chaining, prompting, rewards, group activities, and generalization. Chapter IV, "What To Teach," offers curriculum suggestions in the areas of mobility, language, reading and pre-reading, social development, arts and crafts, and drama. The final chapter, "What To Teach in the Top Classes," deals with communication skills, social skills, and building a bridge towards self-independence. (Four references) (JDD)