Mental Retardation

Intellectual disability involves problems with general mental abilities that affect functioning in two areas
  • Intellectual functioning (such as learning, problem solving, judgement)
  • Adaptive functioning (activities of daily life such as communication and independent living)

The condition is further divided into four levels of retardation based on IQ, which include mild mental retardation (IQ between 50-55 and 70), moderate mental retardation (IQ between 35-40 and 50-55), severe mental retardation (IQ between 20-25 and 35-40), and profound mental retardation (IQ below 20 or 25) (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).

There are many signs of intellectual disability. For example, children with intellectual disability may:

  • Sit up, crawl, or walk later than other children
  • Learn to talk later, or have trouble speaking
  • Find it hard to remember things
  • Have trouble understanding social rules
  • Have trouble seeing the results of their actions
  • Have trouble solving problems

 

Some mental health, neurodevelopmental, medical and physical conditions frequently co-occur in individuals with intellectual disability, including cerebral palsy, epilepsy, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder and depression and anxiety disorders.

retardation image

Medical Management

Although there are no medications in most cases of ID, appropriate genetic diagnosis, parent counselling about rehabilitation, acceptance of diagnosis and adjustment of expectation is needed.

Various therapeutic services can improve a person’s adaptive behavioral skills. These therapies are helpful for many people with intellectual disabilities (ID, formerly mental retardation).

Neurorehabilitation

Occupational Therapy
  • Meaningful and purposeful activities
  • Self-care (e.g., grooming, dressing, feeding, bathing)
  • Employment activities and skills
  • Leisure activities (e.g., knitting, playing games)
  • Domestic activities (e.g., cooking, cleaning, laundry).
Speech therapy
  • Improves communication skills
  • Improves receptive and expressive language skills
  • Improves speech articulation
  • Improves vocabulary.
Physical therapy
  • Enhances quality of life by maximizing mobility and self-locomotion
  • Provides adaptive solutions to mobility problems
  • Increases sensory integration
Social Skills training
  • Social Interaction Skill
  • Peer relationship and Friendship
  • Child’s ability to process social information
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