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 retardation cases.
Interventions for Individuals with Mental
Retardation
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.
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.
