Intellectual disability or mental retardation diagnostic process issues of importance related to mental retardation

2. Intellectual disability can be diagnosed by three
things
 Interviews with the parents
 Observation of the child
 Testing of intelligence and adaptive behaviors.
A child is considered intellectually disabled if he
or she has deficiency in both IQ and adaptive
behaviors.

3.  IQ (intelligence quotient) is measured by an
IQ test. The average IQ is 100. A person is
considered intellectually disabled if he or
she has an IQ of less than 70 to 75.
 child’s adaptive behaviors, is measured by
a specialist by observing the child’s skills
and compare them to other children of the
same age.ie his feeding, dressing,
communication and interaction with family,
friends, and other children of the same age.

4. Signs of Mental Retardation
1) Limitations in intellectual functioning, i.e.
A person’s ability to learn, reason, make
decisions, and solve problems.
2) Limitations in adaptive functioning, i.e.
Skills necessary for day-to-day life, such as
being able to communicate effectively,
interact with others, and take care of oneself.

5. Signs of Mental Retardation
 Signs may appear in infants or they may not be
noticeable until a child reaches school age.
 It usually depends on the severity of the disability.
Most common signs of intellectual disability are:
 Rolling over, sitting up, crawling, or walking late
 Talking late or having trouble with talking
 Slow to master things like dressing, and feeding
himself or herself

6. Signs of Mental Retardation
 Memory problems.
 Behavior problems such as aggression etc.
 Feel Difficulty in problem-solving or logical
thinking
 Severe or profound intellectual disability is
sometime associated with other health
problems as well. These problems may include
seizures, mood disorders (anxiety, autism, etc.),
motor skills impairment, vision problems, or
hearing problems.

7.  AAMR and DSM(APA) divide mental
retardation into four levels based primarily
on IQ scores:
 mild
 moderate
 severe
 profound.

8.  Mild mental retardation is the designation
for those with IQ scores between 50–55 and
70.
 People with mild mental retardation typically
have few, if any, physical impairments, can
acquire vocational skills, and may live in the
community with or without special supports.

9.  People with moderate mental retardation have
IQs between 35–40 and 50–55.
 They may have obvious physical abnormalities
such as the features of Down syndrome.
 work activities require close training and
supervision, and special supervision in families or
group homes is needed for living in the
community.

10.  Severe mental retardation is defined by
IQ scores between 20–25 and 35–40.
 At this severity level, motor development
typically is abnormal, communicative
speech is sharply limited, and close
supervision is needed for community
living.

11.  Profound mental retardation is
characterized by an IQ below 20–25.
 Motor skills, communication, and self-
care are severely limited, and constant
supervision is required in the community
or in institutions.

12.  In families with a history of genetic disorders,
genetic testing may be recommended.
 Certain tests, such as ultrasound , can also be
performed during pregnancy to look for problems
associated with intellectual disability.
 Although these tests may identify problems before
birth, they cannot correct them.

13.  Intellectual disability may be diagnosed on
the bases of different reasons. If a baby has
physical abnormalities that suggest a genetic
or metabolic disorder, a variety of tests may
be done to confirm the diagnosis. These
include blood tests, urine tests, imaging tests
to look for structural problems in the brain, or
electroencephalogram (EEG) to look for
evidence of seizures.

14.  After a diagnosis of intellectual disability is
made, a team of professionals will assess
the child’s particular strengths and
weaknesses. This helps them determine how
much and what kind of support the child will
need to succeed at home, in school, and in
the community.

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