Mental retardation, also known as intellectual disability, initially appears among children under the age of 18. It is characterized by the below average intellectual functioning and significant limitations in everyday tasks such as self-care, social skill and self-direction. The severe cases can be evident early in a child’s life while the mild cases may not become apparent until the child reaches school. The initial time of onset can depend on the cause of the disability. The two types of mental retardation are the syndromic and non-syndromic mental retardation. The non-syndromic mental retardation is the common form and refers to an intelligent quotient (IQs) as less than 50 without physical abnormalities while the non-syndromic refers to a condition that presents additional medical and behavioral symptoms.
Causes
Mental retardation can develop as the result of several causes such as alterations in embryonic development, mental disorders, problems during pregnancy, hereditary abnormalities and medical conditions of infancy or childhood. The prenatal genetic disorders are conditions that alter the genetic material which could be inherited from the parents such as Down syndrome and fragile X-syndrome. The maternal infections such as congenital rubella can result in mental retardation of the infant. The rubella infection during the pregnancy can affect the development of the fetus and can cause mental retardation, hearing loss, vision impairment, congenital heart disease and behavior problems. Toxic substances such as the use of alcohol results in the fetal alcohol syndrome which can cause mental retardation, delayed motor development, attention deficit and hyperactivity. The postnatal causes can include bacterial or viral infections of the brain such as meningitis resulting in permanent brain damage.
Symptoms
The symptoms of mental retardation vary on the severity of the condition. The common symptoms of mental retardation include delays in language development, a problem with learning social roles, decreased ability with learning, difficulty with problems solving and lacking social skills. Individuals with the mild retardation can lack curiosity or present quiet behavior, the severe retardation can present the child-like behavior and those with profound retardation can exhibit limited communication skills often needing nursing care.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of mental retardation is possible with the evaluation of the individual’s medical and social history. The affected children will be required to have the intelligence test that determines the intellectual functioning and learning difficulties. Among the infants, the test known as Bayley Scales of Infant Development is used to evaluate their language, motor and problem-solving skills.
Treatment
There is no cure for mental retardation. The individualized education skills can be availed in the school system and the younger children require the early intervention programs that can assess and initiate treatment programs. The extracurricular activities are important aspects of helping these affected children reach the self-esteem. As this is an irreversible condition, the affected individual requires the special education and training focused on improving their ability to live a full life.
References
https://www.floridahospital.com/mental-retardation-mr/treatment-mental-retardation
http://www.minddisorders.com/Kau-Nu/Mental-retardation.html
http://www.healthofchildren.com/M/Mental-Retardation.html
https://psychcentral.com/disorders/mental-retardation-symptoms/