A methodology was developed for determining what parents with mental retardation knew about the information they should provide to the health professional when they suspect that their child is ill Parents with mental retardation were compared to parents without mental retardation using this methodology Neither group was very familiar with basic information such as what temperature means, why it is important to know a child's temperature, and how to accurately determine it Suggestions for systematically preparing parents in the adequate health care of their child are made.