Mental Retardation

DISABILITY CATEGORY:  Mental Retardation

Types: mild, moderate or severe (based on the degree of intellectual function and amount of deficits in adaptive behavior)

DEFINITION:

Our nation’s special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEIA) defines mental retardation as...

            “...significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior. And manifested during the developmental period that adversely affects a child's educational performance.” [34 Code of Federal Regulations §300.7(c)(12)]

Other Definition: Mental retardation is a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. This disability originates before age 18. (American Association on Mental Retardation)

Facts and stats: Mental retardation is a rather broad term which can cover more specific disabilities which result in subaverage intellectual function (e.g. Down syndrome). It is the most common developmental disorder. According to the ARC (Association for Retarded Citizens), nearly 3% of all adults and children in the United States have mental retardation to some degree (2001). Approximately 592,000 children ages 3 to 21 years were served in federally supported programs for the disabled in the 2001-2002 school year, which makes up 9.2% of all children with disabilities who received support (Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that the lifetime cost for those born with mental retardation in 2000 is $51.2 billion in educational and healthcare costs as well as support for affected families.

Causes: Mental retardation can be caused by injury, disease or brain abnormality that may occur before or after birth or as a result of a genetic condition. The most common conditions which cause mental retardation are Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome and fragile X syndrome.  Each of these conditions occurs before birth. Other causes of mental retardation that occur before birth are genetic conditions such as Prader-Willi syndrome, certain infections and birth defects that affect the brain.  Causes of mental retardation that occur after birth and during development are asphyxia (which often occurs during birth), head injury, stroke or serious infection. (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 

Prevention: Currently, most of the conditions which cause mental retardation cannot be prevented.  However, there are some conditions which can be prevented so that mental retardation may not occur.  One of the most common causes of mental retardation, fetal alcohol syndrome, can be prevented if women abstain from drinking alcohol while they are pregnant. Mental retardation can also be prevented in some cases by testing newborn babies for metabolic conditions such as phenylketonuria (PKU), galactosemia, and congenital hypothyroidism. These conditions can cause mental retardation if not treated soon after birth. Kernecteris is another preventable condition which can cause mental retardation.  It occurs when babies are born with too much jaundice. If a baby with jaundice is treated soon after birth, kernecteris can be prevented and the chance of mental retardation occurring will be greatly diminished.

Characteristics: Characteristics of mental retardation vary greatly and depend on the cause and severity of the disability. Approximately 87% of people with mental retardation have a mild form. Those individuals often show few limitations and are usually able to live independently. The 13% of people with more severe forms of mental retardation often need a great deal of support throughout their lives and usually do not live independently.  Those with severe forms of mental retardation are also more likely to have other disabilities as well.  Characteristics of mental retardation often involve limitations in adaptive behavior which involves conceptual skills, social skills and practical skills. (Source: American Association for Mental Retardation)

Individuals with disabilities may also exhibit maladaptive behaviors such as repetitive behavior and disengagement from behavior.

Medical Treatment: Currently there are no medical treatments for mental retardation.

Prognosis: In order to reach their full potential in society, most individuals with mental retardation need individualized supports.  Supports are the resources and individual strategies necessary to promote the development, education, interests and personal well-being of a person with mental retardation.  They can be provided by a parent, friend, teacher, psychologist, doctor or by any appropriate person or agency. Unlike a program which treats all people with mental retardation the same, supports are tailored to fit the specific needs of each individual in order to help them lead the most independent and productive life possible. Listed below are some specific examples of supports.

Human Development Activities: provide opportunities for physical, cognitive, social and emotional development

Teaching and Education Activities: interact with trainers, teachers, fellow trainees and students; participate in decision making; learn problem solving strategies, functional academics, self-determination skills

Home Living Activities: maintain personal hygiene, prepare and eat food, operate household appliances

Community Living Activities: use transportation, interact with community members, shop

Employment Activities: learn and use job skills, interact with co-workers and supervisors, complete tasks  with speed and quality

Health and Safety Activities: take medication, maintain healthy diet, avoid safety hazards

Behavioral Activities: act appropriately in public, control anger and aggression, learn to make good decisions, seek proper assistance when necessary

Social Activities: make and keep friends, engage in loving and intimate relationships, socialize with family

Protection and Advocacy Activities: manage money/personal finances, protect self from exploitation, advocate for self and others

(Source: American Association for Mental Retardation)

Educational Implications: As mentioned earlier, the goal for all children with any disability is to lead independent lives in a community.  Children with mental retardation may also reach various levels of academic success, depending on the severity of each individual case.  To be successful in school many children will need special help. The Individuals with Disabilities Act mandates that children with disabilities be included in typical educational settings to the greatest extent possible.  It also creates provisions to ensure the success of all students.  One of those provisions is the Individualized Education Program (IEP). School staff and the parents of a child with mental retardation should communicate to create an IEP that meets the student’s specific needs but not provide too much assistance so that the child can learn to become independent.

The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities provides the following advice to teachers for teaching children with mental retardation:

• Learn as much as you can about mental retardation. The organizations listed at the end of this publication will help you identify specific techniques and strategies to support the student educationally. We've also listed some strategies below.

• Recognize that you can make an enormous difference in this student's life! Find out what the student's strengths and interests are, and emphasize them. Create opportunities for success.

• If you are not part of the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, ask for a copy of his or her IEP. The student's educational goals will be listed there, as well as the services and classroom accommodations he or she is to receive. Talk to specialists in your school (e.g., special educators), as necessary. They can help you identify effective methods of teaching this student, ways to adapt the curriculum, and how to address the student's IEP goals in your classroom.

• Be as concrete as possible. Demonstrate what you mean rather than just giving verbal directions. Rather than just relating new information verbally, show a picture. And rather than just showing a picture, provide the student with hands-on materials and experiences and the opportunity to try things out.

• Break longer, new tasks into small steps. Demonstrate the steps. Have the student do the steps, one at a time. Provide assistance, as necessary.

• Give the student immediate feedback.

• Teach the student life skills such as daily living, social skills, and occupational awareness and exploration, as appropriate. Involve the student in group activities or clubs.

• Work together with the student's parents and other school personnel to create and implement an educational plan tailored to meet the student's needs. Regularly share information about how the student is doing at school and at home.

Organizations:

American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR)
444 North Capitol Street, NW
Suite 846
Washington, D.C. 20001-1512
http://www.aamr.org
800-424-3668

AAMR promotes progressive policies, sound research, effective practices, and universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  The AAMR website provides news about the AAMR’s recent projects and also gives general information about mental retardation.

The Arc of the United States
1010 Wayne Avenue, Suite 650
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-565-3842
http://www.thearc.org

With 1,000 chapters in the U.S., The Arc of the United States (formerly Association for Retarded Citizens of the United States) is the country's largest voluntary organization committed to the welfare of children and adults with mental retardation and their families. This organization provides information about educational campaigns and other materials that are helpful in FAS prevention efforts. To order publications from The Arc, contact:

The Arc’s Publications Desk
3300 Pleasant Valley Lane, Suite C
Arlington, TX 76015
888-368-8009
http://www.thearcpub.com

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