Skip to main content

Advertising Disclaimer »

Main menu

  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Complete Issue PDF
    • Archive
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • Blog
  • Multimedia
    • Teaching Slides
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • CME/MOC
    • CME Quizzes
    • MOC Claiming
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
  • Other Publications
    • American Academy of Pediatrics

User menu

  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
American Academy of Pediatrics

AAP Gateway

Advanced Search

AAP Logo

  • Log in
  • My Cart
  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Complete Issue PDF
    • Archive
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • Blog
  • Multimedia
    • Teaching Slides
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • CME/MOC
    • CME Quizzes
    • MOC Claiming
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
American Academy of Pediatrics
Article

Mental Retardation

Overview and Diagnosis

William Otis Walker and Chris Plauché Johnson
Pediatrics in Review June 2006, 27 (6) 204-212; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.27-6-204
William Otis Walker Jr
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Chris Plauché Johnson
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
Loading

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Download PDF
  1. William Otis Walker Jr, MD*
  2. Chris Plauché Johnson, MEd, MD†
  1. *Director, Neurodevelopmental/Birth Defects Clinics, Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, The University of Washington, Seattle, Wash
  2. †Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas

Note: This is part 1 of a 2-part article. Part 2 will appear in July 2006.

Objectives

After completing this article, readers should be able to:

  1. Contrast the current criteria used by the American Association on Mental Retardation and the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV-TR) to establish a diagnosis of mental retardation.

  2. Characterize the relationship between the age of presentation and the severity level of mental retardation.

  3. Recognize the importance of obtaining a detailed family history (three generations) as part of the etiologic evaluation of mental retardation.

  4. Know the mechanism of inheritance for Fragile X.

  5. List age-appropriate instruments for the measurement of intelligence and adaptive skills.

Introduction

Mental retardation (MR) is one of the more common developmental disabilities. It can be idiopathic and challenging to recognize in normal-appearing children who have developmental delays. Conversely, MR can be easily recognized when the child presents with dysmorphic features associated with a known genetic MR disorder. Mental retardation currently is defined by the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) as “significantly sub-average general intellectual functioning accompanied by significant limitations in adaptive functioning in a least two of the following skills areas: communication, self-care, social skills, self-direction, academic skills, work, leisure, health and/or safety. These limitations manifest themselves before 18 years of age.” (1) Recognizing that a numerical value alone may be neither precise nor adequate to distinguish between the abilities of a child whose intelligence quotient (IQ) is 71 and one whose IQ is 69, the AAMR defines the upper limit of subaverage general intellectual functioning as “70 to 75” when there are also significant concerns regarding adaptive abilities. The American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition–Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) definition of mental retardation differs from that of the AAMR in that its …

Individual Login

Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.

Institutional Login

via Institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your librarian or administrator if you do not have a username and password.

Log in through your institution

If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.

Offer Reprints

PreviousNext
Back to top

Advertising Disclaimer »

In this issue

Pediatrics in Review: 27 (6)
Pediatrics in Review
Vol. 27, Issue 6
June 2006
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
View this article with LENS
PreviousNext
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Academy of Pediatrics.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Mental Retardation
(Your Name) has sent you a message from American Academy of Pediatrics
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Academy of Pediatrics web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Request Permissions
Article Alerts
Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.
Or Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
Mental Retardation
William Otis Walker, Chris Plauché Johnson
Pediatrics in Review Jun 2006, 27 (6) 204-212; DOI: 10.1542/pir.27-6-204

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Mental Retardation
William Otis Walker, Chris Plauché Johnson
Pediatrics in Review Jun 2006, 27 (6) 204-212; DOI: 10.1542/pir.27-6-204
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Print
Download PDF
Insight Alerts
  • Table of Contents

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Objectives
    • Introduction
    • Epidemiology
    • Causes
    • Clinical Presentation
    • Diagnosis
    • Conclusion
    • National Resources and Web Sites
    • Footnotes
    • Refrences
    • Suggested Reading
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Epidemiology, Prevention, and Sequelae of Drowning
  • Accidents Waiting to Happen: A Review of Unintentional Household Injuries in Children
  • Early Signs and Symptoms of Leukodystrophies: A Case-Based Guide
Show more Articles

Similar Articles

Subjects

  • Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrics
    • Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrics
    • Cognition/Language/Learning Disorders
  • Genetics
    • Genetics
    • Dysmorphology
  • Children With Special Health Care Needs
    • Children With Special Health Care Needs
  • Journal Info
  • Editorial Board
  • ABP Content Specifications Map
  • Overview
  • Licensing Information
  • Authors
  • Author Guidelines
  • Submit My Manuscript
  • Librarians
  • Institutional Subscriptions
  • Usage Stats
  • Support
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Resources
  • Media Kit
  • About
  • International Access
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • FAQ
  • AAP.org
  • shopAAP
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Instagram
  • Visit American Academy of Pediatrics on Facebook
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Twitter
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Youtube
American Academy of Pediatrics

© 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics