Mental Retardation
CASE OF THE CHILD WITH MENTAL RETARDATION * INTRODUCTION:
Mental retardation (MR) is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviours. It has historically been defined as an Intelligent quotient score under 70.Once focused almost entirely on cognition the definition now includes both a component relating to mental functioning and one relating to individuals' functional skills in their environment. As a result, a person with a below-average intelligence quotient may not be considered mentally retarded.
DEFINITION:
Mental Retardation is defined as,"significantly sub average general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behaviour and manifested during the developmetal period."-AAMD
"Mental retardation is a state of arrested or incomplete development of the mind/intellect."
For the diagnosis to apply ,these problems must have begun before the age of 18 years.Mental Retardation is thus defined in terms of level of performance as well intelligence.The definition says nothing about causal factors ,which may be primarily biological,psychosocial,sociocultural,or a combination of these.By
Definition ,any functional equivalent of mental retardation that has its onset after age 17 must be considered a dementia rather then Mental retardation.The distinction is an important one,because the psychological situation of a person who acquires a pronounced impairment of intellectual functioning after attaining maturity is vastly different from that of a person whose intellectual resources were subnormal throughout all or most of his or her development.
THE VARIOUS LEVELS OF MENTAL RETARDATION ,AS DEFINED IN DSM-4 TR ARE AS FOLLOWS;
DIAGNOSED LEVEL OF MENTAL RETARDATION | CORRESPONDING IQ RANGE | Mild retardation | 50-55 to approximately 70 | Moderate retardation | 30-40 to 50-55 | Severe retardation |
Mental retardation (MR) is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviours. It has historically been defined as an Intelligent quotient score under 70.Once focused almost entirely on cognition the definition now includes both a component relating to mental functioning and one relating to individuals' functional skills in their environment. As a result, a person with a below-average intelligence quotient may not be considered mentally retarded.
DEFINITION:
Mental Retardation is defined as,"significantly sub average general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behaviour and manifested during the developmetal period."-AAMD
"Mental retardation is a state of arrested or incomplete development of the mind/intellect."
For the diagnosis to apply ,these problems must have begun before the age of 18 years.Mental Retardation is thus defined in terms of level of performance as well intelligence.The definition says nothing about causal factors ,which may be primarily biological,psychosocial,sociocultural,or a combination of these.By
Definition ,any functional equivalent of mental retardation that has its onset after age 17 must be considered a dementia rather then Mental retardation.The distinction is an important one,because the psychological situation of a person who acquires a pronounced impairment of intellectual functioning after attaining maturity is vastly different from that of a person whose intellectual resources were subnormal throughout all or most of his or her development.
THE VARIOUS LEVELS OF MENTAL RETARDATION ,AS DEFINED IN DSM-4 TR ARE AS FOLLOWS;
DIAGNOSED LEVEL OF MENTAL RETARDATION | CORRESPONDING IQ RANGE | Mild retardation | 50-55 to approximately 70 | Moderate retardation | 30-40 to 50-55 | Severe retardation |