Mental Retardation
In order to be considered mentally retarded, you must have an IQ below
75, have
significant limitations in two or more adaptive skill areas, and the
condition
is present from childhood (defined as age 18 or younger). People
can be mentally
retarded as all different levels. About 78% of mentally
retarded people will
only be a little slower than the average person, while
in others it is very
apparent (Arc of New Jersey). There are many causes of
mental retardation. One
cause of mental retardation is of genetic conditions.
That includes; abnormal
gene mixes from parents, errors when genes combine,
overexposure to x-rays, and
many more reasons. More than 500 genetic diseases
are associated with mental
retardation. Down Syndrome is an example of a
chromosomal disorder (Mental
Retardation Issues). Chromosomal disorders
occur every once in a while, and are
caused by too many or too few
chromosomes in the restructure of the chromosomes
(The Arc of New Jersey).
Another cause is problems during pregnancy. It could
happen if the mother
drinks or does drugs while pregnant with the baby. Other
risks include
malnutrition, certain environmental contaminants, and the mother
could get
ill during the pregnancy. Pregnant women who are infected with HIV may
pass
it on to their child. Also very stressful and physical pregnancies and
births
can cause damage to a child’s brain (Introduction to Mental
Retardation).
Mental Retardation also occurs frequently after birth. Childhood
diseases
such as big coughs, chicken pox, measles, and hip disease, which may
lead to
meningitis and encephalitis, can damage the brain, as can accidents such
as
being hit in the head, near drowning situations, and most other
accidents
involving the head. Another that can be harmful to a child mentally
is
environmental fumes, lead, mercury, and other dangerous toxins
(Introduction to
An American History of Mental
Retardation).
Bibliography
Introduction to An American History of
Mental Retardation. 3-28-00.
http://member.aol.com/MRandDD/introhx.htm.
Introduction to Mental
Retardation. 2-25-00. http://thearc.org/faqs/mrqa.html
Mental Retardation
Issues. 2-27-00. http://members.amaonline.com/nrogers/mr.htm
The Arc of
New Jersey. What is MR. 2-27-00. http://www.arcnj.org/html/what_is_mr.html