8 Responses to “Can A Child Have Both Mental Retardation And Autism At The Same Time?”

1. Silent says:

   November 7, 2009 at 6:17 pm

   It sounds to me like she’s self diagnosing, next thing the kid will have ADHD because she can’t control them, from what I understand both Delayed Development and Mental Retardation are both blanket terms not actual complaints, so yes the child could be Autistic and she’s just looking into it too much or maybe the kid is just slow at picking things up.
   So yeah, maybe she just wants sympathy or attention, but take any ‘diagnosis’ with a pinch of salt.
2. pinky.em says:

   November 7, 2009 at 6:54 pm

   Firstly, the term mental retardation is used amongst professionals, scientists, researchers for teaching and the such like so is NOT offensive. However, it would be very, very rare for a professional to use this term when speaking with a patient/ parent.
   Mental retardation is not the condition itself, it is exactly what it says on the tin, and is used when speaking about a variety of disorders and condition in which something has ‘gone wrong’.
   ‘Delayed development’ is also a general term and is also, not surprisingly, exactly what is sounds like. A person, most likely a child, who is not reaching the expected normal developmental stages at the expected time. Hence, they are delayed.This again is not the actual condition.
   Children ( and adults) with Autism have a condition which comes under the umbrella of a mental retardation and will most likely experience delayed development in certain cognitive areas, social aspects etc. Put simply, the delayed development is a kind of symptom ( such as sneezing is a symptom of a cold).
   Her child could be Autistic….if you have met this child it is likely that , however they present, you will have some clue.
3. Niklaus Pfirsig says:

   November 7, 2009 at 8:53 pm

   The categories are similar, and tend to overlap, but are not necessarily the same.
   Autism is linked to a specific part of the brain, the amygdala, that acts as the “IO ports” for the brain. In a very few cases of autism, the amygdala is underdeveloped, in most cases however, it is developed but doesn’t function properly. Autism ranges in severity and many autistic individuals are above average intelligence, while others are mentally retarded.
   Developmental delay is descriptive of children whose skills lag behind the majority of their age group as determined by standard testing. It may be causes by neurological problems or by social and environmental problems.
   Mental Retardation is a more of a determination of the persons reasoning and problem solving abilities.
   Psychologists and Psychiatrists use a standard set of guideline for determining these conditions. The standard reference is the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition” usually called “DSM-IV”
4. fonduman says:

   November 7, 2009 at 10:49 pm

   well the child could have aspergers as well as MR i guess cos most people with aspergers have normal iqs. although i guess general retardation would mean social difficulties anyway so perhaps the autism is but one facet of the condition overall. like saying “i have got an orange. i have something that is round and orange” lol.
   or like saying “i have got a cold. my nose is also blocked up”
5. tom_robe says:

   November 8, 2009 at 12:53 am

   It could be possiable if one child gets both and the other doesn’t. Both parents have to have one of those problems for something like that too happen.
6. Tara add me again! says:

   November 8, 2009 at 1:06 am

   i TOTALLY aggree with silent
   srsly that sounds like self diagnosis. If not then that can happen but it might else just be dislexia which covers all of that
7. Claire A says:

   November 8, 2009 at 2:37 am

   “mental retardation?”
   Thats politically incorrect and very offensive. Its not a medical condition.
8. Unheard Sounds says:

   November 8, 2009 at 3:13 am

   Aren’t they all the same thing?