A comprehensive review of the literature and interviews with local experts has found a paucity of research on the self-esteem of school-age children with mental retardation. Long (1995), Zic & Igric (2001) and Siperstein & Leffert (1997) found lower self-esteem in self-report measures completed by mentally retarded children and adults. However, the psychometric properties of selfesteem self-report measures have been questioned repeatedly, finding insufficient reliability and validity when applied to mentally retarded populations (Finlay & Lyons, 2001; Widaman et al., 1992). The purpose of this study is twofold; the first goal is to determine the average self-esteem for mentally retarded children enrolled in BOCES classes, as observed by experienced teachers. The second purpose of this study is to determine the benefits, if any, of Special Olympics participation on the self-esteem of these children
