Abnormal Psychology

632 CHAPTER 14

In some cases, children with mental retardation (or other disabilities) may fre-

quently behave in ways that disrupt the class—yelling, having temper tantrums, and

acting aggressively toward others. In such cases, the children may be transferred to

schools for students with special needs who cannot be accommodated in a regular

classroom.

Is mental retardation an appropriate diagnosis for Richie Enriquez? It may well

be—his language abilities are signifi cantly delayed. However, he also has additional

symptoms that are not explained by mental retardation—he avoids eye contact and

hardly smiles. In the next section, we’ll examine a set of disorders that might better

account for these problems.

• The diagnosis of mental retardation requires both an IQ score
  at or below 70 and impaired daily functioning. The four levels
  of mental retardation are mild, moderate, severe, and profound.
  Some people with mental retardation—particularly at the severe
  or profound level—may have diffi culty communicating verbally.


• Neurological factors are the primary direct cause of most cases
  of mental retardation—usually a genetic abnormality or prena-
  tal exposure to a teratogen such as alcohol. In turn, the genetic
  abnormality or teratogen alters brain structure and function.


• Although mental retardation cannot be cured, many types can
  be prevented, including PKU-related retardation (through early
  detection and dietary modifi cation) and retardation caused by
  lead poisoning (by removing lead from the environment). In-
  terventions are designed to improve the person’s functioning
  by increasing his or her communication and daily living skills.
  
  
  • Children whose symptoms make verbal communication diffi cult
    may be taught alternative methods of communication, such as
    the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).
  
  
  • Legally, children with mental retardation are entitled to special
    education and related services, tailored to their individual needs
    through an individualized education program (IEP).
  
  
  
  

Making a Diagnosis

• Reread Case 14.1 about Larry, and determine whether or not
  his symptoms meet the criteria for mental retardation. Specifi -
  cally, list which criteria apply and which do not. If you would
  like more information to determine his diagnosis, what in-
  formation—specifi cally—would you want, and in what ways
  would the information infl uence your decision? If you think he
  did have mental retardation, what level of retardation do you
  think he has and why—on what do you base your decision?

Pervasive Developmental Disorders

Richie Enriquez exhibits some behaviors that are not typical of individuals diagnosed

with mental retardation: He avoids making eye contact with people and can spend

hours—literally hours—playing with a glittery plastic ball. When his mother, Lela,

takes the toy away from him, perhaps because it’s time for lunch, he has a nuclear-

sized temper tantrum: “He screams, he cries, he hits his head against the wall....

I don’t know what to do. When I try to hold him, to comfort him, it seems to make

things even worse. I’ve never seen a child like him.” Carlos notes that “if the eve-

ning routine—dinner, bath, three books, bed—varies, if I forget to read the third

book, Richie freaks out, rocking himself and screaming. And he has no interest in

playing with Javier and Pia—even though they try so hard to get him to play or to

laugh.” From these descriptions, Richie’s behaviors sound like symptoms of autism,

a pervasive developmental disorder.

Pervasive developmental disorders are a set of disorders that have in com-

mon severe deficits in communication and in social interaction skills, and may

also involve stereotyped behaviors and narrow interests. The word pervasive in-

dicates that the symptoms affect all areas of the individual’s life. Pervasive de-

velopmental disorders primarily arise from neurological abnormalities and

dysfunctions (Kundert & Trimarchi, 2006; Ozonoff, Rogers, & Hendren, 2003).

Most pervasive developmental disorders become evident during infancy or early

childhood, and many children also have comorbid mental retardation, which may

be true of Richie. Children for whom mental retardation is the only psychological

Pervasive developmental disorders
A set of developmental disorders that have
in common severe defi cits in communication
and in social interaction skills and may also
involve stereotyped behaviors and narrow
interests.

Key Concepts and Facts About Mental Retardation