Development of Children with Mental Retardation

At the on set, the term psychical meanwhile has been viewed by many a(prenominal) as a stigmatizing term. Thus, authorities in this subject argona of study from different societies had come up with a less stigmatizing term. The British Commonwealth and the Scientific teach of Intellectual Disabilities referred to it as quick dis mightiness (Ainsworth, P. & Baker, P. 2004, p. vii), period Stephen R. Schroeder of the University of Kansas and his colleagues favor the term learning disability. Other more(prenominal) specific descriptors include Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome. noetic slowdown is a disability in the develop psychogenic process that may come out from comport with the advance of eighteen (health & disease info) In their book Understanding Mental retardant, Patricia Ainsworth and Pamela C. Baker (2004), explained that moral slowdown is a syndrome of delayed or upset brain development before age 18 years that results in difficulty learning information a nd skills needed to adapt quickly and adequately to environ aff equal changes (p.3) Its causes according to Ainsworth and Baker includes the genetic factors or the so called heredity factor, environ cordial factors which is link to an impoverished environment, and antepartum influence which has something to do with nutrition. Physical development of Children with affable maladroitness In his article in a paper published by the Ohio State University empower Stimulating Physical Development of Mentally slow down Children Julian U. Stein n unityd the importance of an active, officious feeling in the development of sound sagaciousness and sound corporal body (p. 1).Stein cited Platos logical argument emphasizing that, lack of visible activity destroys the glorious condition of the individual human being, and that orderly seduce outs and pretendments preserve that condition (p. 1). Herbert Jennings in 1917 in any case reveal that through play the minor learns and develop s better than through any other activity (p. 1). Stein express that baby birdren with mental retardant should non spent their days idle, inactive or passive, and merely gaining weight as this will adversely affect their total physical development as the childs locomote development correlates with play activities.Children with mental slowness should not be deprived of the opportunity to play and to intermeshed in physical exercise because it will not only jockstrap them to gain better physical development it will also facilitates better societal, and intellectual development depending on the severity of their mental illness. lyric Development Children with mental retardation like their recipe peers be capable to adapt skills needed for chance(a) communication such(prenominal) as language (Pruthi, G. ).However, Gauri Pruthi cited that although children with mental retardation are capable to adapt a language, infants with mental retardation were behind by some two months compared to their typical peers in their language development. On the other hand, studies done by Bruner, 1975 and Tomasello 1992 as cited by Pruthi, declared that the early social and communicative accomplishments are seen as essential prerequisite for various saying of language acquisition. In their book Handbook of Mental ineptness and Development, Jacob Burack and Robert M.Hodapp (1998) emphasized that language acquisition is one of our most remarkable achievements which are rulerly achieved in spite of appearance the prototypal two to three years from birthing (p. 208). Yet for children with mental retardation, Burack and Hodapp positioned out that, at this age they may only be beginning to move down this pathway, having learned just a hardly a(prenominal) words to name the important people in their lives and signifi bottom of the inningt objects or some expressions for regulating social interactions (p.208). However, not all children who are late in beginning to talk withdraw mental retardation difficulty as some of these children do twist up a little time later. The problem in that locationfore is how to distinguish which dominion and which is having mental retardation. mare R. Brassard and Ann E. Boehm (2007) point out that most children with low cognitive skills exhibit disruptions in all areas of language, as swell up as delays in most areas of development (p. 337).Thus, in order to assessed childrens wellness, and language comprehension, Brassard and Boehm present a model of communication develop by Abbeduto and Nuccio, which requires judging in four domains namely Linguistic ability (mastery of syntax, vocabulary, and phonology), the Cognitive ability (memory) Social skills (perspective taking) and Pragmatic competency (knowledge and skill specific to the process of communicating with others) that would help determine the mental condition of the children for early interference if they flip mental problem.Cognitive development Me ntal retardation is defined as the sub average ecumenical intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior, and manifested during the developmental period (Grossman 1977, as cited by Wachs, T & Sheehan, R. 1998, p. 16). This definition indicates that children with mental retardation pick up consistent skills and cognitive functioning deficits. Marilyn Jane Field, Alan M. Jette, and Linda G.Martin (2005) pointed out that mental retardation is characterized by a delayed onward motion and is an ultimate failure to achieve the ability to act formal operations at maturity (p. 69). Field, Jette, and Martin tell that the severity of mental retardation corresponded to fixation at lower stages of cognitive development (p. 69). Therefore cognitive development of children with severe mental retardation fixated at a lower stage which impaired not only their intellectual expertness but also their normative behavioral development.The impaired intellectual ca pacity is clearly seen in the experiment conducted at Kansas University by John Belmont and Earl Butterfield in the 1970s as cited by Norman Bray, Kevin Reilly, Lisa Huffman, Kathryn Fletcher, and Mark Villa in their article entitle Mental Retardation and Cognitive Competencies in which the participants were asked to phone some items in their order of presentation.In this experiment, it yielded that children with mental retardation had a poor recall and they were found to scram deficiencies in various memory task and were in particular found to be deficit in memory-related processes such as in the rapidity of processing and the proscription of irrelevant information (Bray, N. et,al). Psychological DevelopmentIt is generally held by various professionals in the field that a normal and healthy socio emotional development during the primary 3 years of life is necessary for the normal mental health and personality development. Anton Dosen and Kenneth Dy (2001) aptly stated that chi ldren with mental health retardation follow the standardized sequence and are predisposed to make psychosocial developmental structures as usual children (p. 418). Mental retardation ordinarily manifest during early childhood often during the first and second year of the childs life.Dosen and Dy points out, but the socio-emotional development of mentally retarded children during the first 3 years may be hypersensitized to various obstaclesgenetic, organic, environmental (Dosen & Dy, p. 418). Dosen and Dy explained that children with mental retardation are usually delayed in their union of psychological development because it is generally held that children with mental retardation shows maturational lag in different cortical areas (Dosen and Dy, p.418).Achieving quality life then for children with mental retardation can be ensured through early intervention. An internet article entitled Mental Retardation point out that it is important for parents, pediatricians, and other health carry off providers to be familiar with recognizable signs to be able to make an early intervention which is a decisive component to ensure maximum quality of life for these children (Mental Retardation).However, many researchers believed that children with mental retardation experience regressions nether condition of cognitive challenge. Professional and parental interventions As it has been partly said above, early intervention is essential to the effective manipulation of children with mental retardation. Linda Seligman and Lourie W. Reichenberg cited that special education, class health care, language simulation and social skills prep at an early age can have a great impact on treatment outcomes (p.65).But above all these, some practical family matters such as showing family affection, love, acceptance, and other loving perplexity should be generously given to these children by their families as they grow up. I Nothing can interchange the loving concern of the family for their member to grow normal and healthy. Questions for discussion that parents may have to ask 1. ) remember my child is proven to have mental retardation, is there be any clinical treatment getable for my childs condition?2.) If my child is diagnosed to have severe mental retardation, should the child be set-apart from his peers to protect him? 3. ) Are there any remediation drugs that are available in the market that can help my child to become normal? 4). my child is 6 years old with severe mental retardation, what would be some possible effect if he is put in isolation from other normal kids? 5). Are there any kind foods that are may be detrimental to my childs condition? 6). could there be a hypothesis that early intervention can help my child grow normal?ReferencesAinsworth, P. & Baker, C. (2004) Understanding Mental Retardation ground forces University of Mississippi.Bray, N. W. Reilly, K. D. Huffman, L. F. Fletcher K. L. Villa, M. & Anumolu V. Mental Retardation and C ognitive Competencies.http//www.uab.edu/cogdev/graham4.htmBrassard, M.R. & Boehm, A. (2007) Preschool judging USA The Guilford PressBurack, J. A. & Hodapp, R. M. (1998) Handbook of Mental Retardation and Development USA Cambridge University PressDosen, A. & Dy, K. (2001) Treating Mental unsoundness and Behavior Disorders in Children and Adults with Mental Retardation USA American Psychiatric PublishingField, M. J. Jette, A.M. Martin, L. G. (2005) Workshop on Disability in America, a New think