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Home » Consumer Information » Children with Disabilities

Mental Retardation

When a child is labeled as mentally retarded, people, especially their classmates, often treat them as inferior. This is usually due to the belief that someone receives a mental retardation diagnosis because they exhibit below-average IQ and are incapable of performing tasks independently. This is slightly true, but mentally retarded children have the ability to learn and even care for themselves as adults. The majority of these people only have a moderate degree of mental retardation, but it can appear worse if an individual also shows signs of physical and psychological problems. Some of these children may also have trouble hearing, seeing, or speaking.

Years ago, severely mentally retarded kids were typically institutionalized, but schools of thought have changed; now, we welcome children like this to stay with families and participate in community events. Most states even have legislation in place that promises education and other services paid for by the taxpayers.

It is essential that a mentally retarded child receives a complete assessment to help determine their strengths and weaknesses. This calls for the expertise of a variety of medical specialists because a child typically requires neurological, psychological, psychiatric, special education, hearing, speech, vision, and physical therapy testing. These procedures are organized by a pediatrician or child psychiatrist. Once the results have been determined, the doctors who administered them will develop a treatment and teaching strategy to be carried out by the child’s family and school administrators.

A child may also have emotional and behavioral problems that coincide with the mental retardation and could impede the child’s overall progression. Many of these children do recognize that they are developmentally delayed in comparison to their peers. As a result, they may become aggravated, introverted, anxious, or even act inappropriately to garner the attention of those around them. Mentally retarded teens can begin exhibiting signs of depression, and if they are unable to verbalize these feelings, their depression may translate into odd eating and sleeping rituals.

Early assessment of psychiatric abnormalities in children with mental retardation yields early treatment and other forms of therapy. Prescription medicine can be a beneficial component of treatment, as it helps manage behavioral issues. Intermittent meetings with a child psychiatrist will provide a family with the guidance necessary to set reasonable goals, limits, and standards to help a mentally retarded child cope with the challenges of daily living.

If you have a mentally retarded child, you could be entitled to receive government assistance. Consult with a social security disability lawyer to learn how.