Disability is not Inability

:: Mental retardation

Classification and Types of Mental Retardation

Mental Retardation is classified as mild, moderate, severe or profound. Approximately 70 % of students with mental retardation fall into the category of mild. By late adolescence, individuals with mild mental retardation fall can be expected to develop academic skills.

In their adult years, many can hold jobs and live on their own with some supportive supervision or group homes. Individuals with more severe mental retardation require more support.

Children with mild degree of retardation can effectively benefit from regular classroom environment with supportive teachers and classmates. Children with severe mental retardation are more likely to also show signs of other neurological complications, such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, hearing impairments, visual impairments, or other metabolic birth defects that affect the central nervous system.

For the purposes of effective support structures classifications based on IQ are not adequate in predicting functioning.

Classifications based on the degree of support required for the child with mental retardation to function at their highest level.

(Hallahan & Kauffman, 2000) listed these categories as: intermittent, limited, extensive and pervasive.

Causes: According to (Dykens, Hodapp & Finucane, 2000) Mental Retardation is caused by genetic factors and brain damage. Various other cultural factors can cause mental retardation in developing countries like Kenya apart from these two.

Mental Retardation in Africa is said to be also caused by bad spirirts which may have been communicated or transferred by other person due to one reason or another. Your child can be affected by some cultural practice that you did or some person who did something to you and it affected your child.


:: Mental Retardation in Kenya

:: Mathari Mental Hospital

:: Causes and Classification

Source: book educational psychology by John Santrock McGraw Hill 2004,

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