Why do people use the terms learning disabled and mentally retarded interchangeably?

Question

Why do people use the terms learning disabled and mentally retarded interchangeably?

Answer 1

They don't if they know anything about it.  Mentally retarded means a person has a low I Q score, and learning disabled means a person has trouble in a specific area of learning, like reading or math.  A person with a learning disability can be very intelligent.  In fact most of them have average or above IQs.

Answer 2

they assume because someone is disabled that they are also mentally retarded, and sometimes vise versa. heres the difference....mentally retarded is in the MIND (duh) and disabled is a physical thing (legs, arms, etc.)

if u arent around it, u have no idea about it. sad, isnt it?

Answer 3

because to some people being mentally retarded is a learning disability and to some others the term mentally retarded does not really exist.a learning disability is the reduction in the speed it takes to comprehend certain knowledge while being mentally retarded is the inability to comprehend at all. sometimes people are labeled mentally retarded because alternative learning methods are unavailable.

Answer 4

Maybe because mentally retarded people have learning disabilities.  But that doesn't mean leaning disabled people are mentally retarded.

Answer 5

when i was in school i had some ld classes because i have epilepsy and i am slow at trying to catch with others

Answer 6

Mentally retarded

If a person's IQ is below 70, they are said to be feeble minded or mentally retarded (retarded is rarely used these days), and the person is supposedly unable to function as a normal human being.

Previously people with IQ's below 70 would be institutionalized, where as these days they are increasingly involved in the community, doing supported employment etc.  

Definition according to Medline plus for;

Mental retardation

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

- mentally retarded adjective

Learning Disability

Someone with a Learning Disability has normal to above normal IQ, but they have some sort of auditory and visual processing disorders, which affects their ability to read, write, calculate etc. They can function normally, but they have difficulties in learning.

Definition according to Medline plus of;

Learning disability

Any of various disorders (as dyslexia or dysgraphia) that interfere with an individual's ability to learn resulting in impaired functioning in verbal language, reasoning, or academic skills (as reading, writing, and mathematics) and are thought to be caused by difficulties in processing and integrating information

- learning disabled adjective

Break down of IQ levels

Over 140 - Genius or near genius

120 - 140 - Very superior intelligence

110 - 119 - Superior intelligence

90 - 109 - Normal or average intelligence

80 - 89 - Dullness

70 - 79 - Borderline deficiency

Under 70 - Definite feeble-mindedness

Answer 7

because they are too ignorant to know the difference.

Answer 8

I think people use the term learning disabled because they feel that is less caustic than  mentally retarded.  I have been in the sp. ed field for close to 30 years and the labels continue to change. It's all about PC. I wish we didn't have to have labels.  

My studies have taught me that people with learning disabilities have average or above average intelligence.  People with mental retardation have difficulty thinking, reasoning, higher level thinking and their IQ is below average.   I don't think it is that simple.

Answer 9

Because they are not aware of the distinction between the two.