Mental retardation results from genetic factors, infections, birth defects or life events such as a head injury or stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many people with mental retardation require long-term...
For children with cognitive disabilities, potty-training is both a tremendous obstacle and an important milestone. According to the National Institutes of Health, roughly 1 in 50 Americans has mental retardation, and the degree of disability can...
Children who have intellectual disabilities, otherwise known as children who are mentally retarded, may have "considerable problems in everyday functioning," says the American Academy of Pediatric and Adolescent Psychiatry. Some children with...
Mentally challenged adults are clinically referred to as mentally retarded adults. According to the American Psychiatric Association, the mentally retarded have considerable intellectual deficits as evidenced by substandard IQ scores. An IQ of...
Finding that your child is mentally challenged raises an array of questions within your mind. How to care for you child, how could this have happened and whether or not you were at fault are common questions when your child is diagnosed with...
Once routinely institutionalized, most mentally challenged children are now encouraged to live with their families, participate with their peer groups and even strive for independence. This modern attitude shift is due to a better understanding of...
Physical exercise can be a beneficial tool for therapists when dealing with patients with developmental disabilities or mental retardation, according the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. They note that a common symptom of people suffering...
Mentally challenged children can suffer from one or multiple impairments that interfere with cognitive function. These impairments can be biological or psychological in nature and can manifest as mental retardation, developmental delays, mental...
The terms "mentally challenged" and "mentally retarded" are often used interchangeably to mean someone whose general intellectual functioning is significantly sub-average. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders...
According to the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAFP), two to three percent of infants are mentally challenged. Chromosomal abnormities, genetic syndromes, birth injuries and environmental factors can cause mental retardation. In 30 to 50...
Autistic disorder, or autism, and asperger's disorder are pervasive developmental disorders that are diagnosed in the first few years of life and last throughout a patient's lifetime. Impairments in behavior, cognition and social interaction are...
A developmental disability is a life-long physical or cognitive impairment that limits daily functioning and restricts participation in activities. A developmental disability may interfere with learning, mobility, working, speaking, understanding...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pneumococcal meningitis is an inflammation or infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It is caused by the bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae, or...
Children with mental handicaps often have physical disabilities that also must be addressed. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology, children with low intelligent quotients, or IQs, can successfully participate in...
According to Janet Thomas, M.D., of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, approximately 1 in 1,500 children has a congenital metabolic disease. Called inborn errors of metabolism, just one defective gene...
Down syndrome is a condition that causes mental retardation and developmental problems. It is present before birth, and is caused by a defect in chromosome 21, according to the Mayo Clinic. Children with Down syndrome usually can learn to crawl,...
Meningitis, an inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain, is usually caused by infection with viruses or bacteria. The after effects depend on the precise causative agent, as well as the affected person's age and general state of health....
The development of a fetus is an exquisitely choreographed series of events that need to occur at the right time in order for the baby to grow properly. Radiation can have a multitude of effects on this. The timing of the radiation exposure and...
Drinking and smoking during your pregnancy -- at any time -- may be detrimental to the health of your baby. The first three months are especially critical because all your baby's major body parts and organs are being formed at this time. The...
Hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid, occurs when the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones. This condition is usually caused by an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, thyroid gland removal or medications that...
People often complain that a low metabolism causes them to be overweight. A low metabolism decreases the number of calories your body burns throughout the day. The more you eat, the fewer calories your body will burn. More of those calories will...
Cerebral palsy, or CP, is a disease characterized by motor dysfunction or uncoordinated muscle movement. The condition stems from abnormalities in the area of the brain that controls a child's movement and posture.
According to the National Institutes of Health, seizures that occur between age 6 months and age 5 are, in the majority of cases, benign. In contrast, seizures that occur in the neonatal period and in the first months of life are often the first...
Raising a child who is mentally challenged requires emotional strength and flexibility. The child has special needs in addition to the regular needs of all children, and parents can find themselves overwhelmed by various medical, caregiving and...
A parent whose child is diagnosed with a mental disability can experience a significant amount of emotional distress. Raising a special-needs child is challenging, at the least, a process that may require an exorbitant amount of patience and care....
Cerebral palsy, or CP, is a condition characterized by motor dysfunction or uncoordinated muscle movement. Injury to the cortex of the brain accounts for the dysfunction, notes the Brain Connection website. Diagnosing cerebral palsy before one...
Cleft lip and cleft palate are congenital deformities that result in the palate or the lip or both not coming together to fuse in the middle during the fetal formation of facial structures. This occurs early in gestation, as the structures begin...
Cortical dysplasia is a congenital brain defect in the cortex area. The Hemispherectomy Foundation states that this disorder is diagnosed in infancy or early childhood, though it can also show up in rare cases in adolescence. In addition to the...
Prevacid (lansoprazole) is a medication in the group called proton pump inhibitors (PPI). These medications are used in treating heartburn as well as acid reflux disease. Prevacid works by blocking the enzyme in the stomach that makes acid. The...
Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes mental retardation. Down syndrome is the most common genetic cause of severe learning disabilities in children. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments of down syndrome in this video.