Definition
Mild mental retardation is defined as significantly subaverage intellectual ability, which ranges between 50–55 and 70, and concurrent delays in adaptive functioning that present prior to the age of 18.
Description
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual- fourth edition-text revision [2], mild mental retardation (MR) is characterized by individuals with cognitive impairments that correspond to an IQ score between 50–55 and 70 and deficits in adaptive functioning that present before the age of 18. Mild MR is the most common type of MR; approximately 3% of the general population has mild MR [5]. Approximately 85% of individuals with MR fall within this range.
Relevance to childhood development
Children with mild MR often are not diagnosed until later childhood, as they typically develop minimal impairments in communication, social skills, and motor skills during...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
American Association on Mental Retardation. (2004). Fact sheet: Frequently asked about mental retardation. http://www.aamr.org/Policies/faq_mental_retardation.shtml
American Psychological, Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed. – text revision). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Center for Disease Control. (2005). Developmental disabilities: intellectual disability. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/ddmr.htm
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. Intellectual disability (formerly mental retardation). http://www.nichcy.org/Disabilities/Specific/Pages/IntellectualDisability.aspx
Roberts, M. C. (Ed.). (2003). Handbook of pediatric psychology (3rd ed.). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Sattler, J. M. (2002). Assessment of children: Behavioral and clinical applications (4th ed.). San Diego, CA: Jerome M. Sattler, Publisher.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this entry
Cite this entry
Hoffenberg, S.E. (2011). Mild Mental Retardation. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1786
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1786
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science