Mental retardation refers to substantial limitations in present functioning. It is characterized by significantly sub average intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with related limitations in two or more of the following applicable adaptive skill areas: communication, self-care, home living, social skills, community use, self-direction, health and safety, functional academics, leisure, and work. Mental retardation manifests before age 18”.Mental retardation is a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. (AAMR, 1992)
“Limitations in present functioning must be considered within the context of community Environments, including schools and homes, typical of the individual’s age peers and culture.” (AAMR’s 2002) Within an individual, limitations often coexist with strengths (i.e., studies that examine a person’s pattern of scores is likely to reveal a person’s relative strengths) A person’s personal life functioning generally will improve with appropriate personalized education and support provided over a sustained time period. Many developmentally disabled children have difficulty learning basic self-help skills. They often require an enormous amount of help and effort from the attending adult in order to be socially appropriate in skills such as dressing and toileting. However, with careful teaching and patience, most of these children
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Guardianships were created to take over their financial affairs.
In the 17th century, Thomas Willis provided the first description of intellectual disabilities as a disease. He believed that it was caused by structural problems in the brain. According to Willis, the anatomical problems could be either an inborn condition or acquired later in