Mental Retardation

Madison & Elizabeth

Mental Retardation

        Mental retardation is an intellectual disability for everyday living. According to Psychology Today, “Mental retardation (MR) is a condition diagnosed before age 18, usually in infancy or prior to birth, that includes below-average general intellectual function, and a lack of the skills necessary for daily living.” Having mental retardation causes the person to think and react slower. With this disability it makes it hard to function without help. According to WebMD “Intellectual disability is thought to affect about 1% of the population. Of those affected, 85% have mild intellectual disability.” This shows that only a small part of the population has a chance in getting this disability. Although most of us have a chance in getting a mild intellectual disability that still creates problems in our everyday life. Mental retardation creates problem for anyone who has this disability.

             Mental retardation is usually when a person have late reactions to most things.  According to WebMD, “ one of the most common signs of intellectual disability are rolling over, sitting up, crawling, or walking late, talking late or having trouble with talking, slow to master things like potty training, dressing, and feeding himself or herself, and difficulty remembering things.” Having this disability makes it hard for someone to take of their selves on their own. Most people with this disability needs a person their whole life to watch them. According to Psychology Today, “decreased learning ability, inability to meet educational demands of school.” This is a struggle for the person diagnosed with this inability and it demands for them to think more and try harder in their studies, even when it’s already hard for them. People with mental retardation get extra help and guidance but luckily, some of them can be independent with a little attention called for.