Main Characteristics of Mental Retardation - Coursework Example

Mental Retardation According to Parry & Gilliam (2002), mental retardation is a medical condition where a person is not able to make sound judgments concerning situations in his or her life. There is some imbalance in his or her communication, understanding ability, and the general response to situation out of the normal way. A person will not act according to his or her age, for instance, one can be 12 years of age but unable to describe his or her name or even answer simple questions like, what is their father’s name. Intellectual disability is the word commonly used in order to avoid stigma that comes with the outdated word mental retardation. This condition reveals slow brain development and establishment of an individual. A person with this condition will find it difficult to cope up with daily routine such as, in the case of a child, choosing the uniform to wear for school. The main forms of mental retardation are; Autism, Schizophrenia, anxiety disorder and Dyslexia (Parry & Gilliam, 2002). Measure of Mental Ability Mental retardation is a human disability in its case; this statement means that a person is limited in terms of intellectual and adoptive behavior. The intellectual part involves someone’s ability to learn, making a decision, and solving a personal or general challenge. Mental ability of an individual is measured by a method known as intelligence quotient (IQ). Through an IQ test, a specialist is able to determine a person’s intellectual ability. The test will involve different aspects of life like how a child will handle himself/herself, communication with others, and family members interaction. Research shows that a person’s IQ on average is about 100. One is considered as mentally disable, if his or her IQ is less than 70. Studies show that only 1% of the world’s population has a mental disorder (WebMD, 2014). Symptoms The conditions cannot be detected at the child’s birth but will be manifested later in life of since physical examination cannot reveal this. Consequently, there some symptoms that will show evidence of this condition. These signs can manifest at infancy but it is usually difficult and will be evident at the schooling age. The following are common signs in children: I. A child will take long crawling and will take long to learn how to walk. II. The child will have a problem learning how to talk and his or her communication may be impaired. III. The child will have poor memory and may not remember even the most recent activity. IV. The child will be slow at grasping basic activities like dressing, and feeding himself or herself. V. A child will have a problem of self-control which will lead to short tempers like throwing tantrums. Causes of Mental Disorders Brain growth starts right during pregnancy, as the child grows in the womb, so is the brain. The process of brain growth and development is a critical process in one’s life and care should be taken to ensure this process is not interfered with. If ones brain development is interrupted, it might eventually lead to mental disability. The major causes of intellectual disability are: I. Genetic disorders like the Down syndrome and the X syndrome. These two disorders are associated with physical growth delays and mild intellectual disability. II. Mother’s behavior during pregnancy might interfere with the brain of the unborn child. Misconducts like, excessive alcohol consumption, drug and substance abuse, malnutrition and some certain infections on the mother. III. Circumstances surrounding the child’s birth. If the child is born way long before maturity, this means that the brain will not also have developed well. Due to lack of favorable conditions which the child is meant to develop in the mother’s worm, the process of brain growth might be interfered with. Also, during child delivery, if the child is deprived of enough oxygen the disorder may result. IV. Mental disability may also result from diseases and severe injuries directed to the brain. Illnesses like meningitis, whooping cough or measles. Exposure to dangerous and poisonous elements like lead. V. Some hereditary diseases are also a cause. An example is the Huntington’s disease, a condition which affects the brain cells causing failure. Prevention of Mental Disability According to the causes explained earlier, it is clear that mental disability can be prevented and avoided. Most causes are as a result of omission or commission. This means that everyone has to play their role in prevention of this condition. If the mother plays her role and the nurses during delivery, a great number of these occurrences can be significantly reduced. The following are some methods this condition can be avoided: I. A mother when is pregnant should; avoid alcohol which in most cases is not good for the child that she is carrying, ensure she takes a balanced diet to avoid malnutrition, get vaccination of diseases like measles, meningitis and whooping cough and regular screening during pregnancy. II. On the part of doctors, proper conditions should be provided during child birth to ensure the infant has sufficient exposure to oxygen. Cases of immature pregnancy should also be avoided through advising the pregnant mother. III. Historical information on genetics and screening should be sampled by doctors and advice a couple before conception to avoid genetic disorder. Common Types of Mental Disabilities As earlier explained mental disability affects an individual’s way of living such that a person will not react to situations or appear normal. Different people with mental disability will display certain behaviors according to the extent of brain damage. Some of the common conditions are: Schizophrenia. This is a mental condition whereby an individual will tend to hear voices and sounds back in their brains. Patients have illusions and display paranoiac behavior. They fear that someone is following them and wants to hurt or kill them. If a person is not closely monitored, he/she can be delusional leading to suicide (Healthcios, n.d.). Dyslexia. This is a mental disorder that affects one’s ability of reading and writing. A person will have a major problem with writing and reading because a person will see and interpret letters wrongly. This affects the learning process of person and one cannot go through school. People with this disorder need special learning (Healthcios, n.d.). Autism. This is one of the most extreme cases of mental disability. A person will have difficulty living with people in the society. Fundamental skills of living are totally absent; a person cannot feed him/herself, may not take a shower by his/her own and will be devoid of common basic hygiene behavior. People with this condition need special schools under trained care at their young age so that it can help them learn skills to live with others (Healthcios, n.d.). Diagnosis It is possible with test to establish whether one has a mental disability. Trained practitioners will a do some series of tests on a child to establish presence of intellectual disability. These tests will be how the child interacts with family and ability to solve problems critically. In the case of delays in growth, the doctor has to rule out the possibility of other problems just to be sure it is a mental condition. For one to be declared mentally ill, there are two studies; the IQ of the child must be below the stipulated one and the child should have problem with his/her adoptive behavior (WebMD, 2014). After the condition has been established, the child will need assistance at home, school and in the society to ensure his/her overall development. Parents will need to be aware of their child’s condition to help the child grow normally with this condition. Practical case Daniel Tammet was born on 31st January 1979 and brought in Barking, east of London, England. At a young age Daniel was diagnosed with a mental illness; autism and savant syndrome. Tammet undergone medical treatment and recovered from the illness. After his recovery from savant syndrome, Tammet underwent a brain change so that made him act extraordinarily. The amazing thing about Tammet is his interest in numbers; he says that each number up to 10000 has a unique, texture, shape, colour and feel. Tammet has participated in many brainy competitions. For instance, he holds the European record for reciting pi to 22,514 decimal places in a fascinating time of five hours and nine minutes on the 14th March 2004. Tammet has the ability to learn a language in a short time, in the documentary boy with incredible brain, Tammet learned a language in a week and appear on a live interview. The is just but one case where mental illness has resulted in a wonderful ability in mental ability. (Daniel Tammet: thinking in numbers 2012) Conclusion A child with such a condition also needs to grow just like any other child without feeling neglected or left out alone in life. Play, school, and family support is essential in a child’s growth and developmental process. If this case is unnoticed, in case of mild intellectual inability, a child will be stigmatized in school and can even be neglected by family. The resulting consequences may be fatal leading to death by suicide. Children in school should also be taught on how to handle their friends with this condition by not laughing at them and neglecting them. Adults with this disability will learn how to live a normal life alone or with the aid of a group. References Healthcios. (n.d.) Top 10 mental health disorders. Health and Medcine Information. Retrieved from http://www.healthcios.com/top-10-mental-health-disorders.php Parry J. & Gilliam, P. (2002). Handbook on mental disability law. North Carolina ,USA:,ABA Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law WebMD (2014).Childrens Health: Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation). Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/children/intellectual-disability-mental-retardation. Read More