Mental retardation
Alternate Names : Intellectual and developmental disability
Symptoms & Signs
- Continued infant-like behavior
- Decreased learning ability
- Failure to meet the markers of intellectual development
- Inability to meet educational demands at school
- Lack of curiosity
Note: Changes to normal behaviors depend on the severity of the condition. Mild retardation may be associated with a lack of curiosity and quiet behavior. Severe mental retardation is associated with infant-like behavior throughout life.
Diagnosis & Tests
An assessment of age-appropriate adaptive behaviors can be made using developmental screening tests. The failure to achieve developmental milestones suggests mental retardation. The following may be signs of mental retardation: - Abnormal Denver developmental screening test
- Adaptive behavior score below average
- Development way below that of peers
- Intelligence quotient (IQ) score below 70 on a standardized IQ test
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