Helping People with Developmental Disabilities Mourn: Practical Rituals for Caregivers

Frequently, people with developmental disabilities are excluded from bereavement ceremonies when a loved one or friend dies, therefore not receiving the special care needed for comprehending their own feelings of loss. Focusing on creating mourning rituals for special needs people, this guide offers specific rituals and techniques for caregivers to use while helping explain death and dying. With more than 20 examples such as the use of pictures and storytelling or drawing and music, these practical tools can substantially lend to the understanding of grief and sadness for intellectually and developmentally disabled adults and adolescents.

Marc A. Markell, PhD, is a professor of special education at St. Cloud State University. He frequently presents workshops on grief and loss for schools, churches, community organizations, and at local, state, national, and international conferences; and he conducts grief support groups and provides individual grief counseling. He is also a certified thanatologist through the Association of Death Educators and Counseling and is certified in death and grief education from the Center for Loss and Life Transition. He lives in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Alan D. Wolfelt, PhD, serves as the director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition. He writes the "Children and Grief" column for Bereavement Magazine and has appeared on Larry King Live, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Today. He is the author of Healing a Teen's Grieving Heart, Healing Your Grieving Heart, and Understanding Your Grief. He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.