Question

Physical characteristics of mental retardation

Answer 1

The term 'mental retardation' is used to refer to a person exhibiting limitations in mental, cognitive, and social functions. This means that children with this condition are unable to meet the daily demands of communication, self care, learning, etc., as quickly as other children without this condition do. They take longer to learn how to talk, walk, cater to their personal needs, and will also find school work very difficult.

The American Association on Mental Deficiency defines mental retardation as "Subaverage general intellectual functioning that originates during the developmental period (prenatal to 16 years) and is associated with impairment in adaptive behavior". Mental retardation can be caused by genetic factors such as abnormal genes. Problems arising during a pregnancy conducing to incomplete development of the baby in the womb can also cause mental retardation. Sometimes, during the birth of the baby, some complications may arise resulting in cutting of oxygen supply. 

Characteristics of Mental Retardation

Mental retardation can be classified into three categories: physical, intellectual, and behavioral. Children with this condition have a slower rate of physical development, however, do not have any specific physical attributes that differentiate them from the rest of the population. They may exhibit conditions like hyponocity, abnormalities of the orofacial parts, and unsteady gait. In terms of behavioral characteristics, these children may exhibit characteristics such as limited self-control, aggressiveness, or self injury. In fact, some people with severe mental retardation characteristics are even found to exhibit obsessive compulsive disorder. 

If we consider the intellectual characteristics, we will find quite a bit of difference between the cognitive and adaptive behavior of mentally retarded children and the rest of the population. To understand both cognitive and adaptive behavioral patterns properly, let's take a look at them individually