Special children, especially the retarded, can learn a second language. However, these children are different from others. They may be limited in the total amount that they can absorb or learn.

You may have to make some difficult decisions. Have somebody help you set your priorities for your disabled or retarded child, and determine whether bilingualism is high enough on the list to make it worth the effort.

Part of the consideration will be the level of retardation. The more retarded the child, the lower the priority for bilingualism. Unfortunately, you may want to place more stress on communication in the local language than in raising the child's intelligence and abilities through bilingualism.