[Influence of the educational course on the future of young persons thought to be mentally deficient].

A survey of mental deficiency among children was carried out in 1967 in the department of Haute-Vienne by the Centre International de l'Enfance and the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale. A representative sample of the children was examined, with data recorded under paediatric, social, and psychological (including an intelligence quotient test, the "WISC") criteria. This study was resumed in 1974 and 1978 in order to determine how the children--by then, between 20 and 26 years of age--had fared. Among the 325 studied, it appears that those educated in specialized facilities succeeded less well than those who followed a normal curriculum. Only 39% of the former vs 58% of the latter won a diploma; 27% vs 17% were fired from jobs; 23% vs 9% experienced adaptation difficulties at work. Even when the IQs and the socioprofessional category of the parents are the same, the differences concerning diplomas (particularly in general, as opposed to professional, education) persist, as do problems in the workplace.