Why some people can't remember things easily

Mental Retardation/Intellectual disability

Mental retardation is condition or state of mind.

It is not a diseases or illness of the mind; it is a developmental disability that appears in children between the ages of 0-18. They are having trouble in daily activities, lack of skills necessary for day to day living.

Mental retardation term used in DSM 4 but now replaced by” intellectual disability” in DSM 5.

Some important definitions

American association on mental deficiency: - Mental retardation refers to significantly sub-average intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behaviour and manifested during the developmental period.

British mental deficiency act: - Mental retardation is a condition of incomplete development of mind existing before the age of 18 years wheather arising from inherent causes or induced by diseases or injury.

According to James page: - it is a condition of subnormal mental development, present at birth or early childhood which is characterized by limited intelligence and social inadequacy.

Child with intellectual disability has limitations in two areas:-

·         Intellectual functioning: - Also known as IQ, this refers to a person’s ability to learn, reason, make decisions and solve problems.

·         Adaptive behaviour: - These are skills necessary for day to day life, such as being able to communicate effectively, interact with others, and take care of oneself.

Keypoints:-

·         People with intellectual disabilities can and do learn new things or skills but they learn them more slowly in comparison to normal child.

·         It is related to the subnormal development of the mind or brain.

·         It is also related to one’s inadequate adjustment with the environment.

·         The deficiency may be observed at birth or early childhood.

·         Both, inherent and external factors may cause mental retardation.

·         If individual has an intellectual functioning level below 70-75, are intellectual disabled.

·         Intellectual disability is thought to affect about 1% of the population.

According to WHO (world health organization), subnormal’s IQ characterized between:-

Mild (IQ 55 to approx 70)

Moderate (IQ 35-40 to approx 50-55)

Severe (IQ 20-25 to approx 35-40)

Profound (IQ below 20-25)

1) Mild mental retardation: - Approximately 85% of the mentally retarded population is in the mildly retarded category.

- Their IQ range scores from (50-70) approx.

- They can acquire academic skills up to about the sixth grade level.

- They show sign of delayed development early in life and learn to walk, talk, feed and toilet themselves a year later than the average.

- Speech disturbance and slow learners in school.

- They exibit immature behaviour and lack of judgement.

- They can expect to reach a reasonable degree of educational and to make adequate social and economic adjustment with community.

2) Moderate mental retardation: - About 10% of the mentally retarded population is considered moderately regarded.

- Their IQ scores ranging from 35-55.

- They attain intellectual level similar to six years old child.

- Physically they appear clumsy, suffer from Motor incoordination

- They show sign of retardation in almost all areas of development.

- They manage to speak, their rate of learning is too slow, only acquired the basic skills of reading and writing.

- They require constant supervision and support and need institutionalization depending on their general level of adaptive behaviour.

- They are able to live with the community in such supervised environments as group homes.

3) Severe mental retardation; - About 3-4% of mentally retarded population included in this section.

- They have IQ scores of 20-40.

- They attain only average of ‘four year old child' intellectual level.

- They show severe motor and speech incoordination, sensory defects also.

- They need care and supervision of others also in necessary skills and functions like feeding and dressing.

-great need for institutionalization.

- Proper care, timely treatment and specialized training and managing their physical well being needed.

4) Profound mental retardation: - only 1-2% of mentally retarded population is classified in this.

- IQ scores below 20-25.

- They attain an intellectual level of average ‘two year’ old child.

- The symptoms associated with them are retarded growth, physical deformities, pathalogy of the central nervous system, mutism.

- Severe speech disturbances, motor incoordination, deafness.

- They are unable to protect themselves against common dangers.

-such individuals are completely dependent on others and need the care and supervision.

- Essentially, they need to be institutionalized.

Sign and symptoms of I.D.

Signs may appear during infancy or until a child reaches school age.

·         Delayed speech.

·         Slowness in developmental achievements such as rolling over, sitting up, crawling,          and walking late.

·         Difficulties transitioning from normal stages of development such as potty training         or feeding and dressing ownself.

·         Difficulty in remembering things.

·         Difficulty with problem solving or logical thinking.

·         Difficulty adapting to new situations.

·         Inadequate memory.

·         Behaviour problems such as explosive tantrums.

·         Difficulty in social adjustment, language and motor skills.

·         In severe cases, child may also have concurring physical and psychological problems       such as hearing or vision problems, seizures or mental disorders.

Cause of  Mental Retardation in part 2