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Mental Retardation Awareness Month

March is Mental Retardation Awareness Month. The goal of this is to bring awareness to those suffering from mental retardation and other permanent developmental disorders.

  Definition:  Mental Retardation is a diagnosis that occurs before age 18 that leads to lower than average IQ scores for the patient’s age group when compared to their peers Quick Facts: MR Is often times diagnosed in infancy or early childhood . It is estimated that 1-3% of the general population has this kind of disability.  Currently the preferred term to use when describing someone with this kind of disability is Intellectual Disability. Diagnosis is usually done with a standard IQ test and usually requires two separate tests in order to confirm diagnosis. The generally used cut off is an IQ 70-75 or below.  There are not many treatment options for this kind of disability

 Causes: Not well known, it can include: injury, infection, genetic abnormalities, toxins, nutritional problems, and environmental factors 

Some Common Symptoms : Lack of curiosity, not meeting demands at school,childish behavior, and decreased ability to learn. 

Mental Retardation, or MR is also known as intellectual disability for better words. Some professional will not refer to the mental illness as mental retardation anymore. Mental retardation and intellectual disability are two names for the same thing. Intellectual disability is the current term for the disability historically referred to as mental retardation. Many families and individuals feel that the term mental retardation has negative connotations so in 2010 the federal government replaced the term mental retardation with intellectual disability in many areas of government then in 2011 the Pennsylvania legislature did the same. Intellectual disability means that a person develops mentally at a below-average rate. They may have difficulty in learning and social adjustment, but they can learn. With the appropriate intervention and education, they can lead satisfying and productive lives in the community.

More Information & potential support available at: http://www.thearc.org/ http://www.aamr.org/