Factors affecting Intellectual Development

2. 1. HEREDITY
→ This is represented by the genes transmitted from
parents to offspring at the moment of conception.
Heredity can affect intelligence only directly. The
presence or absence of certain chemicals in the
genes influences the development of brain, glands,
and other organs which provide minimum physical
prerequisites for intelligent behavior.

3. 2. ENVIRONMENT
→ This is represented by all the
stimuli that the individual is
exposed to from conception to
death. It includes such variables
as food, air, attitudes of one’s
associates, the social climate of
the school, and the home, some
forms of mental deficiency can
be traced to chemical or
physical deficiencies in the pre-
natal development.

4. 3. SEX
→ The influence of sex on
psychological functions may
be either direct or indirect.
The direct relation is
illustrated in the relation of
male sex hormones to
aggressive behavior. The
indirect relation is illustrated
in the educational and social
effects of the development
acceleration of girls.

5. 4. CULTURE
→ Cultural influence on intelligence
is illustrated in the variations in sex
roles found in the different
societies and historical periods.

6. 5. SOCIO-ECONOMIC
DIFFERENCES
→ This is illustrated in intelligence scores from
occupational groups. Not only do men differ in
average intelligence scores but corresponding
differences are also found when children are
classified according to the occupation of their
fathers.

7. 6. RACE
→ The relation of race to
intelligence is still
controversial. Evidence
points to experiential rather
than biological or racial
causation. This is because
comparisons of groups of
widely diverse
backgrounds show that any
intelligence test tends to
favor the culture within
which the test developed.

8. 7. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
→ Slight differences are noted in the level of
intelligence in various sectors of the country
although urban children have slight superiority
over rural ones.

10. → The term “mentally – retarded” has been used to
designate 1. The feebleminded: the moron, the
imbecile, and the idiot; 2. Amentia (lack of
intelligence); 3. Oligophrenia (mentally deficient).
The term refers to children who have a combination of
medical, social, maturational, physical and educational
problems rather than a single clinical symptom.

11. → The term also has been used to designate to children
below average in one or more of the following areas:
1. Rate of maturation in early childhood of such
skills as crawling, standing, walking, talking and
training in useful habits;
2. Learning ability, especially in school; 3. Social
adjustment – ability to be independent and to earn a
living.

12. THREE LEVELS IN
ACCORDANCE WITH IQ LEVEL
AND THE DEGREE OF SOCIAL
ADJUSTMENT

13. 1. MORON (EDUCABLE)
 The IQ level is between 50-70 and
the MA is about 12 years of maturity.
 They may learn to read, write, print or
do simple arithmetic but may not
progress beyond the 4th grade no
matter how long they stay in school.
 They are capable of becoming self-
sustaining.
 They cannot manage their lives
without supervision.

14. 2. IMBECILE (TRAINABLE)
 The IQ level is between 25-50 and
their MA is not more than 7 years at
the maximum at maturity.
 They are able to walk, to have clean
bodily habits, to communicate their
needs, and are responsive to simple
commands.
 They do not usually learn to read or
compute.
They are semi-dependent.
 They often have physical disabilities.

15. 3. IDIOTS (COSTUDIAL OR
SEVERELY RETARDED)
 The IQ of this group is below 25 or 30
and the MA is about that of a 3-year
old child.
They must be cared for and no
amount of training will make them
independent, or self-supporting
citizens.
 They cannot attend to his personal
needs nor can he protect himself even
from the most ordinary dangers.

16. CLINICAL TYPES
OF
MENTAL RETARDATION

17. A. THE PRIMARY OR ENDOGENOUS TYPE
1. FAMILIAL MENTAL DEFICIENCY
→ The cause is not traceable to any
organic or environmental factor.
Mental retardation can be traced
in the family, the parents usually
below-average in intelligence.

18. A. THE PRIMARY OR ENDOGENOUS TYPE
2. AMAUROTIC FAMILY IDIOCY
→ This is a rare type of severe
mental deficiency accompanied by
amaurosis (loss of sight due to
diseases of the optic nerve, but
without changes in the eye
structure). It is a disease of the
nervous system appearing after an
apparently normal growth and can
occur in infancy, in childhood or
adolescence.

19. A. THE PRIMARY OR ENDOGENOUS TYPE
3. PHENYLPYRUVIC
OLIGOPHRENIA
→ This disease is frequently called
Phenylketonuria or PKU and is due
to a change in a catalyst called an
enzyme produced by the body
which normally converts the amino
acod phenylalanine (PA) into
tyrosine.

20. B. SECONDARY MENTAL DEFICIENCY
1. PRE-NATAL
INFLUENCES
a) Mongolism
→a congenital defect
characterized by
deficiency in
intelligence, usually at
the imbecilic level and
physical abnormalities
with a Mongoloid

21. B. SECONDARY MENTAL DEFICIENCY
1. PRE-NATAL INFLUENCES
b) Cretinism
→ This is a condition
resulting from thyroid
insufficiency in childhood
and characterized by
severe mental retardation,
patchy hair, protruding
abdomen, dwarfed stature,
thick eyelids, dry skin.

22. B. SECONDARY MENTAL DEFICIENCY
1. PRE-NATAL INFLUENCES
c) Microcephaly (small head)
→ Microcephalics are
usually idiots or imbeciles
. The cause is attributed
to interrupted or
incomplete brain
development, or
meningitis or encephalitis
during gestation.

23. B. SECONDARY MENTAL DEFICIENCY
1. PRE-NATAL INFLUENCES
d) Macrocephaly (enlarged
head)
→ There is an abnormal
enlargement of the head
correlated with mental
deficiency. The
enlargement is believed to
be caused by an out-growth
of the glia cells-supporting

24. B. SECONDARY MENTAL DEFICIENCY
1. PRE-NATAL INFLUENCES
e) Hydrocephaly
→ This is due to an abnormal
condition resulting from an
obstruction in the brain’s
ventricular system causing a
marked excess of the fluid,
pressing both inward and
outward, the collection of
cerebrospinal fluid in the
cranium enlarging the skull
and damaging the brain.

25. B. SECONDARY MENTAL DEFICIENCY
2. Paranatal Influences (Birth Trauma)
a) Cerebral hemorrhage due to
difficult labor, accidents or
improper handling of the infant;
b) Anoxia (oxygen deficit) causing
delayed breathing of the infant;
c) Toxemias of pregnancy;
d) Mechanical injury of the brain in
the process of birth (use of forceps
or sunctions)

26. B. SECONDARY MENTAL DEFICIENCY
2. Paranatal Influences (Birth Trauma)
e) Premature separation of the
placenta or cord complications. The
symptoms and disabilities also
correspond to the degree of brain
injury.

27. B. SECONDARY MENTAL DEFICIENCY
3. Post – natal Influences
a) Severe infective diseases in infancy
like meningitis and encephalitis
causing brain inflammation, chicken
pox, mumps, whooping cough,
influenza;
b) Head injuries which may impair the
sensory and motor faculties
lowering mental performance,
causing perceptual disturbances and

28. C. SPECIAL TYPES
1. Idiot - Servant
→ is a mentally deficient person with a
highly specialized talent in some area
such as rapid calculation, memory or
the execution of music.
2. Pseudo - feebleminded
→ is more of an emotional disorder
rather than of mental retardation.
The term (pseudo-feeble minded” has
been used because individuals in this
category react with stupid behavior,
manifest lack of interest in work or in
ambition and reacts with extreme
withdrawal from fear, failure or

29. TREATMENT
OF
THE SUBNORMAL

30. 1. MEDICAL THERAPY
 Includes surgery and diet therapy in
hydrocephaly and cretinism respectively.
Thyroid hormones when administered
early in life may prevent physical
malformations and intellectual defects in
cretins. Thyroid therapy mat also help
mongolism. The use of glandular therapy
is still in the experimentation stage.

31. 2. PSYCHOTHERAPY
 Frustrations resulting from the limited
abilities of the mentally retarded
sometimes result anxieties and aggressive
behavior. Nonverbal media of
communication as drawing, finger
painting and modeling have been found
useful with the mentally defectives
especially because of the poor linguistics
abilities of this group.

32. 3. TRAINING
 This is conducted in institutions, in
specially-organized school classes or in
the child’s own home. The lower- grade
types are taught self-care, muscular
coordination, perceptual discrimination,
and other simple requirements of daily
living.

34.  The concept of “Giftedness” is as varied
as the limits of IQ used.
1. IQ of about 130 and above;
2. The usually talented or creative;
3. The academically superior; and
4. Those who get high scores in IQ tests.

35. Robert Havighurst says, “The talented or
the gifted child is the who shows
consistently remarkable performance in
any worthwhile line of endeavor- those
who show promise in music, the graphic
arts, creative writing, dramatics,
mechanical skills, and social leadership.”
Lea S Hollingworth defines the term as
“The top 1% of the juvinile population in
general intelligence.

36. Robert Havighurst says, “The talented or
the gifted child is the who shows
consistently remarkable performance in
any worthwhile line of endeavor- those
who show promise in music, the graphic
arts, creative writing, dramatics,
mechanical skills, and social leadership.”

37. a) Teachers’ judgement
b) Clasmmates’ judgement
c) Standardized Test
d) Group and individual tests
e) School grades
IDENTIFICATION OF THE GIFTED