The condition of mental retardation is generally diagnosed in children under the age of eighteen. Individuals who are mentally retarded have intellectual functions that are below normal and they lack the skills that are needed to maintain daily life. Around one to three percent of the population is affected by mental retardation.
Even thought there may be several causes of mental retardation, doctors only identify a cause in twenty-five percent of mental Usually, family members will suspect a child is mentally retarded if their language skills, self-helping skills and motor skills seem to develop at a slower rate than other children the same age do, or not at all.
The child generally lacks the ability to adjust to new situations or grow in intellect. Symptoms like these are obvious early on in the life of the child. However, in children diagnosed with mild retardation, the symptoms may not become apparent until the child goes to school or later.
Interventions for Individuals with Mental Retardation
Failing to achieve milestones of development normally is suggestive of mental retardation. Developmental screening tests can be used to assess age-appropriate behaviors to detect signs of mental retardation.
The degree of affects from mental retardation is variable from borderline to profound mental retardation. More emphasis has been placed on intervention and daily care.
Several risk factors may cause mental retardation. Infections such as Meningitis, infections due to HIV, Listeriosis, Encephalitis as well as Congenital CMV, rubella and toxoplasmosis.
Another cause of mental retardation is abnormalities in chromosomes. Cri Du Chat Syndrome is caused from the deletion of chromosomes. Mental retardation can also occur when a gene is found on an abnormal location on the chromosome or on a different chromosome than normal. Prader-Willi Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome come from chromosome defects or defects in chromosomal inheritance. Down syndrome occurs when there is and error in the number of chromosomes.
The environment has been known to cause mental retardation, such as Deprivation Syndrome.
Mental retardation can result from inherited metabolic disorders and genetic abnormalities such as Tuberous sclerosis, Adrenoleukodystrophy, Tay-Sachs disease, Galactosemia, Sanfilippo Syndrome, Hunter Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Hurler Syndrome, Phenylketonuria and Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome.
Metabolic disorders that can lead to mental retardation are Hyperbilirubinemia, which is excessive levels of bilirubin in babies, congenital hypothyroid, Reye Syndrome or Hypoglycemia, which is poor regulation of diabetes mellitus.
Malnutrition has also been known to be the cause of mental retardation. Toxins may also play a role in the onset of mental retardation. Symptoms of mental retardation have been caused by the child being exposed to cocaine, amphetamines, alcohol and other kinds of drugs, as you would see in "crack babies". Lead poisoning has been known to result in mental retardation as well as Methylmercury poisoning.
Babies subjected to trauma before and after they are born, are commonly mentally retarded. Intracranial hemorrhaging before the baby is born may result in mental retardation. If the baby does not get enough oxygen to its brain before the birth, during or after the birth he is at risk of mental retardation. A severe head injury would also cause a child to be mentally retarded.
Sadly, the largest category for causes of mental retardation is the one for the mental retardation occurrences that remain unexplained.