How do you know if you are mentally retarded?

Question

How do you know if you are mentally retarded?

Answer 1

Actually everyone is wrong.  IDEA (a federal law) dictates what MR and LD are in educational settings.  In clinically settings the DSM IV is universally used.  

A child with a learning disability has an average to above average IQ but is not achieving in school due to a processing problem.  

A child has MR (it is called mental retardation in the law but the PC term is cognitive delay or deficit) has a IQ that is around or below 70.  This is determined by a IQ test, the most popular ones are WISC IV, WJIII, Dos, KABCII, etc..  If the child in question is a second language learner or is not verbal  enough to take a full scale IQ test then adaptive behavior measures can be used.  Adaptive behavior measures look at how well the child dresses themselves, cleans themselves, etc..    These measures are not as reliable as a full scale IQ test.

Also development delays refer to developmental disabilities such as autism.  A person can have a developmental delay and a cognitive delay or only a developmental delay or only a cognitive delay, but they are not referring to the same thing.  Development delays have more to do with behavior while cognitive delays have to do with intellectual ability.

Answer 2

Actually, I disagree. The modifications and accomodations may look the sam with MR and LD but thy ar diffrerent. To determine MR you must have an Adaptive, Intelligence and Academic Assessment and there needs to be a severe discrepency within the subsets in each test. Typically, an MR student wil have a low IQ (below 75) and be low average in many subject areas of the academic testing, not just one.

Every state has different criteria and many do not call it MR anymore from what I am reading on the other 2 posts... but NH is and I am a special ed. teacher here... that is what I do!!

THanks for the post!

Answer 3

The term "mentally retarded" is considered inaccurate and insulting in this day and age as both words have very negative meanings.

The term used now is learning disability.  This term can cover many different disabilities and do not have any relevance to intelligence or IQ and many of those with learning problems such as dyslexia have a very high intelligence.

The difficulties include the following;

reading difficulties (dyslexia);

writing difficulties (Dysphasia/aphasia);

Problems with numbers (dyscalculia);

Nonverbal learning disabilities which often manifest in motor clumsiness, poor visual-spatial skills, problematic social relationships, difficulty with math, and poor organizational skills;

difficulties with motor skills (dyspraxia)

Many of these difficulties are picked up by parents before the children go to school or are identified by school psychologists, clinical psychologists, and neuropsychologists through a combination of intelligence testing, academic achievement testing, classroom performance, and social interaction and aptitude.

My own son and I knew he had a problem as he could not read and write at the same level as his classmates. He was diagnosed as dyslexic and with the correct help went on to achieve very good academic results.  

If you feel you have a learning difficulty firstly do not feel ashamed or that you are stupid and ask for help either of your parents or teachers if you are young.

Answer 4

I think the previous poster had it right when she said that term is not really used any more, even if it is an accurate diagnosis.  I work in special education and I honestly can't think of a time when I've heard the term "mentally retarded".  Again, that doesn't mean it's not the accurate diagnosis, just that people really try to go out of their way to be PC.  

The politically correct term that I've heard used  would be "Developmentally Delayed", thought that implies that eventually you can catch up.  In cases of Mental Retardation, remediation can only get you so far, the ability to surpass typical peers is not possible.  r****d actually means "to slow up especially by preventing or hindering advance or development "  

According to Merriam-Webster online http://medical.merriam-webster.com/cgi-b...

Main Entry: mental retardation

Function: noun

: subaverage intellectual ability equivalent to or less than an IQ of 70 that is accompanied by significant deficits in abilities (as in communication or self-care) necessary for independent daily living, is present from birth or infancy, and is manifested especially by delayed or abnormal development, by learning difficulties, and by problems in social adjustment