What is it?
Definition:  Below average general intellectual function with associated deficits in adaptive behavior that occurs before age 18.  It affects 1-3% of the population.
There are 3 steps in diagnosing an individual as mentally retarded:
1). A qualified person must give the individual standardized intelligence tests and a standardized adaptive skills test on a regular basis.
2). Describe the individuals strengths and weaknesses across four dimensions (intellectual and adaptive behavior skills, psychological/emotional considerations, physical/health/etiological considerations, environmental considerations)
3). An interdisciplinary team determines the support needed across the four dimensions based on levels of intensity (intermittent, limited, extensive, and pervasive).
-Intermittent:  Support needed on a needed basis (finding a new job).
-Limited:  Support needed for a certain time span (transition between school-work).
-Extensive:  Support needed on a daily basis (at home, support at work).
-Pervasive:  Support needed for all areas of life (constant support).

Different types of mental retardation:
· Mild (IQ is 55-70)
· Moderate (IQ is 40-54)
· Severe (IQ is 25-39)
· Profound (IQ is below 25)

Symptoms:
· Failure to meet intellectual developmental markers
· Persistence of infantile behavior
· Lack of curiosity
· Decreased learning ability
· Inability to meet educational demands of school
*Parents and teachers can look for signs such as:  motor skills, language skills, and self help skills are not developing at a rate similar to the peers of this same age level.

Causes:
The causes of mental retardation are numerous.  A specific reason for mental retardation is determined in only about 25% of the cases.  Some of the causes are:
· Unexplained (largest category)
· Trauma (pre-natal/post-natal)
· Infectious (congenital/post-natal)
· Chromosomal (i.e. Down’s syndrome)
· Genetic abnormalities and inherited metabolic disease
· Metabolic
· Toxic (alcohol)
· Nutritional (malnutrition)
· Environmental

Treatment:
The primary goal is to develop the person’s potential to the fullest.  Special Education and training may begin as early as infancy.  This includes social skills to help a person function as normal as possible.  Mental retardation is typically life long.

Consequences:
· Social isolation
· Inability to care for self
· Inability to interact with others appropriately

*Most mentally retarded children are capable of learning new things, both in and out of a formal school setting, but they may learn at a slower pace than other children.
*Many teachers and parents feel that the practice of mainstreaming (which places children in the standard classroom for at least part of the day) helps them to feel more a part of society and helps others to better understand their special needs and abilities.

Teacher Tips:
· Many learners with special needs have a high expectancy to failure.  Set reasonable, achievable goals based on the student’s level of functioning.
· Structure the program for success (small leaning steps).
· Use a lot of positive reinforcement.
· Reward effort and improvement.
· Don’t always go to the student and ask if they need help.  Wait for them to ask you for help.
· Teach the student “self-talk” so they can learn to monitor their own behavior.
· Students with disabilities like to have a routine.
· Remember that students with disabilities need recreational and leisure activities.
· Know that integration is possible for all children.
· Not all integration needs to be verbal (i.e. sitting, cheering, watching an event, building something together can be valuable).
· Get to know the student on a personal level.  See the progress through a relationship.

Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The purpose of IDEA:
To assure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education, which emphasizes special education and related services, designed to meet their unique needs, and to assure that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents or guardians are protected.  To assist stated and localities in providing forth education of all children with disabilities and to assess and assure the effectiveness of efforts to educate children with disabilities.
(The IDEA (PL 101-476) was originally the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) and it was implemented in 1975.  Since 1975, amendments have been made to the IDEA, with the most recent ones being in 1990 and 1997).

Who is eligible for the services under IDEA?
Children ages 3-21 who need special education and related services because of a disabling condition are eligible.  A child with a disability is defined as one with mental retardation, hearing impairment/deafness, speech/language impairment (including blindness), emotional disturbance, an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness or multiple disabilities.

Some principles of IDEA:
There are provisions to ensure that all qualifying students with disabilities receive a free appropriate education and that procedural protections are granted to students and their parents.  Some of these provisions are:
· Free appropriate public education
· Least restrictive environment
· Placement in private schools
· Technology- related assistance
The least restrictive environment means that to the maximum extent possible, students with special needs shall be educated with children who are not disabled or handicapped.  This may include:  regular classroom, resource room, separate class placement, separate schools, residential facility placement, and homebound/hospital environments.

Individualized Education Program (IEP)
An IEP is a written, legal document that describes the special education and related services to be provided to the student.  It states how the child will be involved in the general curriculum and the extent, if any to which the child will not participate with non-disabled children in a regular classroom.  IEP lists supplementary aids and services provided to the child or on behalf of the child, and program modifications or supports for school personnel so that the child will advance appropriately toward annual goals, progress in the general curriculum, be educated with children with and without disabilities, and participate in extra curricular activities.

The IEP team must review each student’s progress yearly.  This is to determine current progress and future needs.  The review has to consider:  Whether annual goals for the child are being achieved, staff and parental concerns about the student’s progress, the results of any reevaluation conducted, and what changes need to be made to meet the student’s needs.

Team members decide what is appropriate education for the child who needs the services.
*The main goal is to discuss educational needs of student and write a program that identifies goals and objectives and needed related services for the year.

Who is involved in an IEP meeting?
· Parents
· Special Ed. Teacher/provider
· An administrator knowledgeable about the general curriculum, the availability of resources and who is qualified to provide or supervise the specially designed instruction
· A regular education teacher (if the child will be participating in the regular classroom environment)
· An individual who can interpret the instructional implications of the evaluation results
· The child (when appropriate)
· Other people who are involved in the education of the student

Teachers will be attending IEP meetings, so it is important to keep a journal/notes on the students behaviors and progress.

Resources:
http://www.mgmr.state.tx.us/CentralOffice/PublicInformationOffice/FaqsMRFACTS.html
http://www.thearc.org/faqs/mrqa.html
http://cecp.air.org/fba/problembehavior/stategies.htm
http://kids.infoplease.lycos.com/ce6/sci/A0859575.html