Organic Retardation
More severely retarded persons often have what is called organic retardation; that is, their retardation is due to some identifiable biological cause associated with hereditary factors, disease or injuries. Down syndrome, which is associated with an extra chromosome, is a familiar example of organic retardation. Many other forms of organic retardation are associated with prenatal risk factors – an alcohol mother, exposure to rubella and so on. Such children, because they are seriously delayed and often have physical defects, can often be identified at birth or during infancy.
Cultural RetardationHowever, the most common form of mental retardation, cultural/familiar retardation, is not usually recognized until a child performs poorly on an IQ test in school. It appears to be related to some combination of low genetic potential and a poor environment. Culturally/familial retarded children are generally mildly retarded, come form poverty areas and have apparent or sibling who is also retarded. Probably 75% to 85% of mental retardation of this type: exact cause is unknown.
What becomes of mentally retarded children as they grown up? For one thing, their mental ages continue to increase well into adulthood because they are developing at a slower than normal pace, but for the same reason, their IQs remain low.
Generally, these mentally retarded adults had poor life outcomes in middle age in comparison with non retarded groups.
Mental Retardation in Children
