Brittany

Special education has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up with a special educator as a parent I was constantly surrounded by the inner workings of the occupation. Although I decided to persure education years ago, it was not until recently that I chose to also try my hand at special education. My goal is to be able to take my knowledge of special needs students and apply it to my regular education art class. I would like to eventually use my knowledge of the subject in a art therapy manner in my classroom especially for my special ed students.

Marti Feldhake ED 226 Mental Retardation September 24, 2009 “Mental retardation is a condition diagnosed before age 18 that includes below-average general intellectual function, and a lack of the skills necessary for daily living. ” as quoted by Medline Plus. Although mental retardation can seem like a rare occurrence, it is seen in somewhere between 1-3% of the population (Lewis , 2007). The term mental retardation covers a few different conditions that vary in cause and manifestation of disability. Like many other disabilities, MR varies greatly in its severity from profoundly impaired to mild or borderline retardation. Recently, there has been a significant shift away from focusing on the level of retardation , and more on the level of intervention and care needed to provide access to a normal life. There is a general break down of different types of Mental retardation, but in the world of education many times there is also a focus on the IQ level of the individual , and where that puts them in the spectrum of severity. With an 85% concentration, the largest group of mental retardation falls in the mild range of retardation. The IQ level at this range is generally between 50-55 but can go up to 70. Moderate mental retardation covers about 10% of the population, and falls in the IQ level of about 35-40 but can go higher. Severe mental retardation only effects 3-4% of the population and is characterized by an IQ falling between about 20-25 but can vary. Profound mental retardation is the smallest group and quite rare with it only affecting 1-2% of the mentally retarded population. It is defined by having an IQ below 20-25 (2008). Downs Syndrome is amongst the most commonly recognizable types of metal retardation, and is a product of an added chromosome , resulting in 47 instead of the standard 46 chromosomes. Downs is particularly recognizable to the lay person due to it’s profoundly common facial features. Although few people with downs have all the characteristics, some of the ones that may appear are almond shaped slanted eyes , flat nose , thick eyelids , broad and flat face and head shape , and a tongue that may appear too large for their mouth. People with downs are particularly prone to circulatory, gastrointestinal , and respiratory disorders but increasingly better medical care and antibiotics are greatly increasing the life expectancy of these people (2000). Cretinism is a thyroid deficiency that results in severe mental retardation as a result of an endocrine imbalance. This generally happens during the prenatal and early postnatal parts of development. Individuals with cretinism normally have dwarf like qualities with an average height just over three feet, and short stubby extremities and features. If the condition is recognized and treated early on in infancy, the individual can have resulting positive benefits concerning intelligence , but will still experience damage to their nervous system and physical development (2000). Cranial abnormalities are another type of mental retardation where there are significant abnormalities in the heads size and shape, and in which the causes are difficult to define or pin point. The condition macrocephaly, falls under this category and is defined by a case of “large head ness” , where the brain tissue and skull has an increase in size and weight. Individuals with this condition suffer from visual impairment, convulsions , and neurological symptoms. Mirroring this condition, microcephaly is a disorder in which the brain and skull are significantly smaller that normal , resulting from the brain not developing entirely. Individuals with microcephaly fall within the moderate, severe , and profound mental retardation spectrum (2000). There are many found causes of mental retardation, but even in light of the modern medical world only 25% of cases can be pin pointed down to a specific cause. Out of the cases that there can be a cause identified, there are a few categories that it can be broken down into. The causes range from disorders that are inherited while the child is still in the womb to ones that can happen late in life. Genetic and chromosomal factors are the cause of some cases of mental retardation. Mental retardation tends to run in families especially with mild retardation (2000). Genetics and chromosomal causes have a heavy influence in more rare conditions such as Downs Syndrome. In cases such as these, the deficiency is a result of metabolic alterations that produce a defect in the brain. There are many identifiable genetic abnormalities that can be past down such as Hunter Syndrome, Hurler Syndrome , Tay-Sachs Disease , Rett Syndrome , Galactosemia , and Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome amongst others. Infections and toxic agents are other factors that can cause mental retardation to a child in the womb, but is not limited to this period of development. In some of these cases, certain diseases that the mother of the child carries such as German measles or Syphilis , may lead to brain damage of the child. Toxic agents such as carbon monoxide or lead and the taking of certain drugs by the mother also can result in brain damage (2000). Malnutrition can also take part in some mental retardation. Especially early on in development, the lack of essential nutrients and proteins can result in permanent mental damage. This can come from the mother not getting the diet she needs or from the child experiencing severe malnutrition (2000). Trauma before, during , or after birth such as hemorrhaging , the lack of oxygen , or head injury can result in some cases of brain damage. Different types and degrees of mental retardation can greatly change when and how it can be recognized. In some cases, the condition can be found before birth and in others it may take years into the child’s development to notice an abnormality. Generally, abnormalities at birth are recognized by an unusual physical appearance or a neurological deficiency (Sulkes , 2006). Sometimes children will outwardly appear normal, but have signs of serious illness. More severe mental retardation many times will delay normal developmental basics such as rolling over, sitting up , and standing (Sulkes , 2006). As the child grows older aggression and self-injury are also signs that there could be a mental deformity (2006). Explosive outbursts and temper tantrums accompanied with frustrating situations in some cases are a common occurrences and strong indicators of a deficiency (Sulkes, 2007). Even things such as a lack of curiosity and prolonged infantile behavior are early signs of mental retardation (Lewis, 2007). For most children with mental retardation, signs of an abnormality do not start to show until the time of preschool. The development of language is a very big indicator at this age being that children with mental retardation are generally slower to put words together, use words , and speak in complete sentences (Sulkes , 2006). As children get older mental retardation is noticed by IQ tests when the individual scores in an abnormally low range. For the majority of individuals with mental retardation, their cases are mild and allow them to participate socially and even academically at a normal rate for their first five years of their life , but start to struggle significantly when in a formal school setting. As a common rule of thumb, individuals with mental retardation fall behind socially and intellectually when developmental millstones come and pass (2006). Being that mental retardation can develop and multiple different times in an individuals development, ranging from in the womb to years into life , diagnosis tends to be different from individual to individual case. When a child is suspected of having mental retardation, they are normally evaluated by a team of professionals including a developmental pediatrician or pediatric neurologist a psychologist, occupational or physical therapist , speech pathologist , special educator , social worker , or nurse (Sulkes , 2006). The professionals performing the evaluation will determine what tools and methods are appropriate to decide if the child is indeed considered mentally retarded (Barkoukis et al ., 2009). Early diagnosis of mental retardation is considered to be beneficial to the child so that an appropriate plan for education, and the learning of social skills can be made individually for the child (2006). There are many tests that may be used to determine the intelligence level of the child, some of them being the Weschsler-Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) , the Bayley Scales of Infant Development , and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Skills test (Barkoukis et al ., 2009). In formal testing, there are three parts; interviews with the parents , observations with the child in question , and norm-referenced tests , such as those already mentioned (Sulkes , 2006). The purpose of the tests is to determine the level that they are intellectually functioning at and to possibly discover a cause. This will aid the professionals that end up working with the individual on how to plan individualized interventions that will increases the individuals level of function (Sulkes, 2006). After a child has been diagnosed with some form of mental retardation, a treatment plan is developed. The word “treatment” when used in the cases of mental illness does not refer to changing the individuals IQ level or social capabilities but instead concentrates on the individual and unique education of the child. There currently are no treatments in the classical sense of the word for cognitive deficiency. Instead, special educators , language therapists , behavioral therapists and occupational therapists are all integral parts to the future development and education of the child (Harum , 2006). In the United States there are federal government laws protecting and mandating the education of children that are considered mentally retarded. Due to their disability different and specialized approaches to education must be made and Individualized Education Plans (IEP’s) are created uniquely for each child in need of services. IEP’s are targeted to asses the individual needs of the child, specifically in relation to their disability , and then devise a plan to provide ways to reach the goals set by the IEP (2006). The primary goal of treatment for a child with mental retardation is to aid then in reaching their fullest potential, much like any other child with a normal level of IQ (Lewis , 2007). Although there is no medication to change the level of cognitive impairment, a portion of individuals with mental retardation are prescribed psychostimulants due to hyperactivity also known as ADD or ADHD. Up to 50% of individuals with mental retardation are prescribed these medications. Occasionally an individual may be medicated for coexisting conditions such as psychiatric disease or behavioral disturbances (Harum 2006). Another common intervention to mental retardation is family therapy and support groups to help families with a mentally retarded member cope with the daily demands and struggles that come along with raising a mentally retarded child. These services tend to focus on the love and support of the family unit (2006). Although many times, mental retardation is not possible to avert , there are precautions that can be taken to prevent some cases. Genetic screening for individuals that know there is a possibility for deformity that runs in their family is available. Also, early screenings of a child before birth may sometimes catch a case in time to prevent some level of mental deformity. There are government programs that have been instated to insure sound nutrition to be offered to the underprivileged to prevent cases of malnutrition. There are environment programs to reduce the level of exposure toxins but the effects of this may take years to form (Lewis, 2007).

Works Cited

Barkoukis, A ., Reiss , N. S ., & Dombeck, M. (2009) . //Mental retardation: diagnosis//. Retrieved from http://www. mentalhelp. net/poc/view_doc. php?type=doc&id=14490&cn=37 Harum, K. (2006, April 7). //Mental retardation: treatment and medication//. Retrieved from http://emedicine. medscape. com/article/1180709-treatment Lewis, R. A. (2007, November 12). //Mental retardation//. Retrieved from http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001523. htm Sulkes, S. B. (2006, October). //Mental retardation/intellectual disability//. Retrieved from http://www. merck. com/mmhe/sec23/ch285/ch285a. html (2008, May 12). //Mental retardation (developmental disability)//. Retrieved from http://psyweb. com/Mdisord/jsp/menret. jsp

(2006, October 31). //Mental retardation//. Retrieved from http://www. hmc. psu. edu/childrens/healthinfo/m/mentalretardation. htm

(2000) . //Dial for health//. Retrieved from http://www. dialforhealth. net/default. asp?loc=contactus. asp