From the second of five books that have had a major effect on me, When Slow is Fast Enough: Educating the Delayed Preschool Child by Dr. Joan Goodman (page 253):

It will be easier for the child to overshadow her retardation if we relax our reformist agenda. Like all children the retarded are naïve, innocent, affectionate; willful, whiny, demanding and disagreeable. Like all children they experience the elemental pleasures of the senses, the good feeling of intimate attachments, and the revelation of discovery. Like all children they bring joy to caretakers through their dependency, “bonding,” and small steps towards independence—made more precious when belated. To appreciate these qualities we must join in their natural pace.”