ABSTRACT
Simon Olshansky, a rehabilitation administrator, first recognized and introduced the concept of chronic sorrow in the 1960s based on his observations of the psychological and emotional reactions of parents of children who were "mentally retarded". There is a great discrepancy between the child who was expected and dreamed of and the child who actually exists. It is the shocking perception of this discrepancy that determines the intensity of chronic sorrow. From time immemorial, people with disabilities and their families have had a very difficult existence. Trace archeological evidence indicates that in hunter and gatherer groups infants with serious disabilities had short lives. The philosopher John Locke recognized the difference between mental illness and intellectual disability. Although persons with cognitive or intellectual disabilities and their families may be better off than at any time in the past, chronic sorrow for parents and other family members remains constant.
