Defining mental retardation

Many "labels" have been applied to the child who functions at an intellectual level below average. These include mentally defective, mentally subnormal, mentally retarded, in­tellectually defective, intellectually subnormal, intellec­tually retarded, oligophrenic, feebleminded, a mental, excep­tional, slow learning and so forth. Really there is little difference among them, although some do carry more positive emotional connotations than others.

In this text the phrase "mentally retarded" will be used to denote the whole range of retardation, but the term feeble­minded or the phrase "mentally defective" will be used to de­note more severe mental retardation. There have been many at­tempts at defining precisely what is meant by the concept of "mental retardation". Some persons have attempted to define the condition in terms of the intelligence quotient that an individual achieves. This has been particularly characteristic of authorities in the United States, where the use of intelligence tests has flourished. In such cases the usual procedure is to define intellectual retardation in terms of an intelligence quotient score of below 70. A child, who ob­tains an intelligence quotient of 68, however is not necessa­rily more retarded mentally than a child with an intelligence quotient of 72, since many factors must be taken into consi­deration in the interpretation of intelligence test scores.

Pr. Tredgold defines mental retardation as follows:

... a state of incomplete mental development of such a kind and degree that the individual is incapable of adapting himself to the normal environment of his fellows in such a way as to maintain existence independently of supervision, control or external support. We may note that this definition stresses the degree of social adequacy of the person - how well he is able to adjust to the demands of society in compa­rison with others of his age group. "Inability to adapt" is emphasized as an important factor. Children who are "average" in intelligence quotient are between 95 and 104. About 3% of the total group is considered to be "feebleminded". This group has intelligence quotient below 65.

T E R M S

mental retardation умственная отсталость

intellectual level уровень интеллектуального развития

subnormal аномальный

mentally defective умственно-отсталый

oligophrenic олигофрен

feebleminded слабоумный

connotation дополнительное значение

condition зд. состояние

intelligence quotient интеллектуальный коэффициент

Classification of the mentally retarded

In the many ways of classifying mental defectives, one of the most useful, for psychological and administrative purposes, is by the severity of grade of the defect.

Three main grades are distinguished, namely, imbeciles and feeble-minded persons. Roughly speaking, one can say that idiots are so grossly subnormal in intelligence that they cannot learn to protect themselves from common physical dan­gers. They do not learn to speak more than a few words at most.

Imbeciles learn to avoid common physical dangers, and can usually carry on a simple conversation, but they do not have the wit to learn to read and write, and as adults they can only lead a sheltered existence. In imbeciles and idiots the damage to the central nervous system is severe.

Idiots and imbeciles form the two great classes of what is often called "lower grade" mental defect. There is considerable agreement in all countries as to how these two terms shall be used, and because of the gravity of the disabilities from which idiots and imbeciles suffer diagnosis is relatively easy in the great majority of cases. Much more uncertainty exists in regard to what are called "high grade" mental defectives, morons, or feeble-minded persons. Both the terminology and the definition of this category are confusing. In Great Britain, the "slow learning" children are often called feeble-minded.

In America the term feeble-mindedness if a synonym for mental-deficiency. And those who are called feeble-minded in England are called morons in the United States.

The term feeble-minded has traditionally been applied to adults who are above imbecile grade in intelligence and attainment, but who are regarded as mentally deficient be­cause of gross social incompetence. So the term feeble-minded is now applied only to socially incompetent persons who are also grossly subnormal in intelligence.

In most feeble-minded persons the damage of the central nervous system is either not severe or is non-existent, and the main defects, which are behavioral, are in many cases due more to environmental factors impairing the efficiency of a vulnerable organism, than to physiological causes in them­selves.

Mental deficiency is to be distinguished from mental ill­ness.

a) Mentally ill patients are 1) those who need medical and social services in the community or in hospital and who are not at present subject to compulsory powers (they are many) and 2) those who are at present subject to compulsory ad­mission to hospital or community care, in certain circumstances, as "Persons of unsound mind." (they are few).

b) Psychopathic patients, or patients with psychopathic personality are those who may be called feeble-minded psycho paths.

T E R M S

imbeciles имбецилы

feeble-minded = morons дебилы

idiots идиоты

a sheltered existence опекаемое существование

mental deficiency умственная недостаточность

environmental factors факторы окружающей среды

vulnerable organism уязвимый организм

mental illness психическое заболевание

unsound mind душевно больные

psychopathic patients психопаты