Mental Retardation Awareness Month
March 2006

About
Definition
Diagnosis
School programs

What is Mental Retardation Awareness Month?

Mental Retardation Awareness Month is a national observance, launched in 1979 by the Arc of the United States, to educate the public about the issues and barriers associated with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities. The Arc of the United States is a non-profit, voluntary organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with mental retardation and their families.
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What is mental retardation?

The American Association on Mental Retardationdefines mental retardation as a disability that significantly limits both intelligence and social adaptive behavior before the age of 18. Mental retardation is not a physical disease or a mental illness. However, mental retardation may coexist with a mental illness and may be caused by a variety of factors, including genetic disorders, complications during pregnancy and right after childbirth, injury, disease, brain abnormality, and exposure to toxic or poisonous chemicals. According to a recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mental retardation is the most common developmental disorder in the United States and affects an estimated 1.5 million children and adults between the ages of 6 and 64.
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How is mental retardation diagnosed?

Mental retardation is diagnosed by administering tests to determine cognitive skill level within different areas of development. Scoring lower than 70-75 on an IQ test is one indicator of mental retardation. However, the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCYY) recommends that clinicians do additional testing in other areas to ensure accurate diagnosis. Clinicians should keep in mind that children with mental retardation also may have co-occurring or secondary mental health disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder.
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What are schools doing to address the needs of children diagnosed with mental retardation?

The Nation's school systems, supported by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) , are making steady progress in strengthening special education in the United States. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that the incidence of students with disabilities graduating from high school increased by 17 percentage points between 1987 and 2003. IDEA was enacted to help schools meet the goals of NCLB by providing intensive instruction and tutoring for students in schools that need to improve services, and by merging State and Federal resources to make certain that children with learning disabilities are served. Together, NCLB and IDEA make schools accountable for setting higher academic achievement standards for the Nation’s 6.5 million students with learning disabilities.
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