Mental Retardation

Mental retardation is a term for a pattern of persistently slow learning of basick motor and language skills during childhook, and a signigicantly below-normal global intellectual capacity as an adult. One common criterion for diagnosis of mental retardation is a tested intelligence quotient of 70 or below. Mental retardation has also been known to effect a person's ability to function in areas of daily life, such as communication, self-care, and getting along in social sutuations and school activities.

Children with mental retardation do learn new skills but it just takes them longer to learn than children with an average intelligence and adaptive skills. There are diffrent levels of mental retardation ranging from mild to profound.

Mental retardation is the most common developmental disorder. People with mental retardation can lead healthy normal lives.There are several federal and federally-funded programs that help people learn to live well with menatl retardation or other developmental disavilities.

Many families have someone in it that is mentaly retarded. People with mental retadation in the U.S., currently estimated to number between 6.2 and 7.5 million, have historically been victimized both by their disability and by public prjudice and ignorance. In recent years there has been more understanding of what causes this and understanding the nature of the condition, in the provision of education and other services that meet the unique needs of those who are mentally retarded, and in the willingness of the public to accor them the respect and rights they deserve as human beings and citizens.

Mental retardation is usually present at childhood. It can be caused by andy condition which impairs development of the brain before, during or after birth. The causes are numerous: hereditary factors, genetic abnormalities, poor prenatal care, infections during pregnancy, abconrmal, delivery, illness during infancy, toxic substances, consumption of alcohol by the pregnant mother, exposure to the child to lead, mercury or other envirmental toxins, physical abuse, and malcutrition, among others. Whatever the cause it usually occurs during the developmental period, usually deemed to be birth through age eighteen.