CHAPTER 2
DEFINITION AND TERMINOLOGY
Chapter Outline
I. Introduction
II. Mental Retardation in Context
A. Mental Retardation as a Developmental Disability
III. Terminology
A. Historical Terminology
B. Current Terminology
IV. Disablism and Mental Retardation
V. Defining Mental Retardation
A. Early Definitions
B. The AAMD/AAMR Definitions
1. The 1959, 1961 Definitions
2. The 1973 AAMD Definition
3. The 1977 AAMD Definition
C. Contemporary Professional Definitions
D. The 1996 American Psychological Association Definition
E. The 2000 DSM-IV-TR Definition
F. The 1993 ICD-10 Definition
VI. Systems of Classification
VII. Operationalizing Definitions
A. School Focus
1. State Guidelines
2. Examples of Operationalization
B. Adult Focus
C. Practical Realities
VIII. Incidence and Prevalence
A. Terminology Defined
B. Factors Associated with Prevalence Rates
1. Definitional Perspective
IX. Final Thoughts
X. Summary
Key Terms
adaptive behavior
clinical judgment
developmental disability
prevalence
six-hour retarded children
Chapter Objectives
Upon completion of this chapter the student will be able to:
1. identify terms used to describe mental retardation.
2. discuss the concept of disablism and how it relates to mental retardation.
3. identify key points of the various definitions that have been developed.
Suggested Activities
1. Interview teachers of students with intellectual disabilities about the educational
implications of the decline in the population of individuals who are categorized as
mentally retarded.
2. Have the students to think of their personal experiences with individuals with intellectual
disabilities and write about what deficits were most apparent among these individuals
(i.e., cognitive deficits, social skills).
3. Have students read Christmas in Purgatory by Burton Blatt and Fred Kaplan (1974).
Have a class discussion regarding historical perceptions of people with intellectual
observe the adaptive behavior levels of children placed in special education
classes. Then have the class write about the observable differences among the
children.
Evaluation Questions
Multiple Choice
1. Developmental disability refers to individuals with mental retardation particularly
among
A. preschool children
B. children between the ages of 3 and 18
C. adults
D. none of the above
2. ________ offers a social system perspective of mental retardation, defining it as “an
achieved social status in a social system.”
A. Mercer
B. Gold
C. Kolstoe
D. Doll
3. The preferred term used when speaking of individuals with cognitive and adaptive
deficits is
A. mental retardation
B. intellectual disability
C. developmentally challenged
D. intellectually handicapped
4. The term “idiot” was
A. used to include all levels of mental retardation.
B. only used to describe individuals with behavior disorders.
C. clearly defined.
D. first defined by a medical doctor.
5. Dominic has an IQ of 65 and presents with rapid mood swings along with visual
hallucinations. Dominic is most likely
A. dually diagnosed
B. physically ill
C. severely mentally retarded
D. schizoid
6. The term ________ refers to students whose abilities were adequate for them to profit
from an academically-oriented curriculum.
A. educable mentally retarded (EMR)
B. trainable mentally retarded (TMR)
C. both a and b
D. developmental disabilty
7. What program for children with intellectual disabilities was abandoned because
they were being teased by their classmates?
A. Program for the Intellectually Handicapped
B. Children in Need of Special Services
C. DDP
D. DISTAR
8. Peter is a twenty-two-year-old man with an IQ of 72 who is shopping at the corner drug
store. Mr. Smith, the owner of the store refuses to allow Peter to shop without another adult
present. Peter is most likely a victim of
A. racism
B. unfairness
C. disablism
D. handicappism
9. Performing at least 1 standard deviation below the mean on a standardized intelligence test is
referred to as
A. mentally retarded
B. subaverage general intellectual functioning
C. adaptive deficits
D. intellectually challenged
10. Ms. Tran’s son has been evaluated for the gifted program at his elementary school.
She is interested in learning where his IQ score of 135 compares to the mean score for the
general population. Which of the following terms will provide the most accuracy in
determining this information?
A. incidence
B. percentage
C. ratio
D. standard deviation
11. An individual’s adaptation to the demands of his or her environment is referred to as
A. adaptive behavior
B. emotional maturation
C. social adjustment
D. environmentally sound
12. The period during which primary growth and development occur (birth through 16
years of age) is termed
A. growth period
B. primary period
C. developmental period
D. both a & d
13. What is the primary factor used to describe and determine intellectual disabilities today?
A. intellectual functioning
B. adaptive behavior
C. deficits in daily living
D. communication deficits
14. Martina and her brother live in a low income housing project in a large city. They
have both been misclassified as mentally retarded and have been placed in special
education classes for the past several years. These children are known as
A. forgotten children
B. six-hour retarded children
C. deprived children
D. victims
15. The first time the term adaptive behavior was used in the AAMD definition was in
A. 1961
B. 1973
C. 1977
D. 1988
16. The first time the guideline of an IQ score that was two standard deviations below the mean
was added to the AAMD definition was in
A. 1961
B. 1973
C. 1977
D. 1988
17. In 1977 the AAMD’s major change in their definition focused on the concept of
A. age of onset
B. adaptive behavior
C. intellectual functioning
D. clinical judgment
18. The ________ stressed the interaction among these three major dimensions: a
person’s capabilities, the environments in which the person functions, and the need
for varying levels of support.
A. 1977 AAMD definition
B. 1983 AAMR definition
C. 1992 AAMR definition
D. 2002 AAMR definition
19. The current APA definition of mental retardation is essentially a restatement of the
A. 1977 AAMD definition
B. 1983 AAMR definition
C. 1992 AAMR definition
D. 2002 AAMR definition
20. The DSM-IV-TR definition of mental retardation is a derivative of the
A. 1977 AAMD definition
B. 1983 AAMR definition
C. 1992 AAMR definition
D. 2002 AAMR definition
21. Who took the position that intellectual disabilities should be dealt with from a behavioral
perspective?
A. Kidd
B. Bijou
C. Greenspan
D. Blatt
22. Greenspan and colleagues have done the most work to promote the idea that social
and everyday intelligence are as important as ______ in understanding and defining
intellectual disabilities.
A. behavior
B. deficits
C. age of onset
D. conceptual intelligence
23. The term that refers to the number of new cases identified within a population over a specific
period of time is
A. prevalence.
B. frequency.
C. incidence.
D. occurrence.
24. The term that refers to the total number of cases of a disorder existing within a
population at a particular place or at a particular time is
A. frequency.
B. prevalence.
C. incidence.
D. occurrence.
25. Prevalence is usually expressed as a
A. percentage.
B. ratio.
C. fraction.
D. frequency.
26. Incidence figures are valuable for
A. investigating the causes of a disability.
B. determining how many children need to be served.
C. establishing how many teachers a system will need.
D. abstract research purposes only.
27. As the age of the mother increases, the incidence of children born with Down
syndrome
A. decreases.
B. increases.
C. fluctuates.
D. stabilizes.
28. Individuals with intellectual disabilities are more apt to be identified in which of the
following?
A. rural communities and high SES conditions.
B. rural communities and low SES conditions.
C. urban communities and high SES conditions.
D. urban communities and low SES conditions.
29. If IQ were the only criterion for defining mental retardation, approximately ______
of the population could be considered mentally retarded.
A. 4.3 %
B. 3.3 %
C. 2.3 %
D. 1.3 %
30. Since the implementation of PL 94-142, the number of students classified as mentally
retarded by school systems throughout the United States has
A. increased
B. dropped substantially
C. stayed the same
D. shown significant variation
True or False
Directions: If the statement is true, simply mark True. If the statement is false, mark
False and rewrite the statement so that it is true.
1. The term mental retardation is used more in the United States; however intellectual
disability is used more often worldwide.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Most contemporary definitional perspectives of intellectual disabilities suggest a
prevalence figure that is below 1 %.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. The AAMR now recommends that the use of levels of severity of mental retardation
(mild, moderate, etc.) be discontinued.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. Dunn wrote an article in which he reported that many culturally disadvantaged children
were being incorrectly identified as mildly retarded.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. In general more females than males are identified as mentally retarded at all age levels.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
6. People are more apt to be identified as mentally retarded in rural communities than urban
communities.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
7. Just as many wealthy families as poor families have children with severe intellectual
disabilities.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
8. When identifying children with mental retardation intellectual functioning is less of a
consideration than adaptive behavior.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
9. The prevalence of intellectual disabilities varies according to the level of development of
a country.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
10. More students are identified as mentally retarded since the federal mandate for special
education was implemented in the mid-1970’s
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Discussion
1. Discuss the distinction that has been made between mental retardation as a state and as a
trait.
2. Discuss at length the historical terminology of intellectual disabilities.
3. Discuss the Systems of Classification.
4. Discuss the concept of disablism and how it relates to intellectual disabilities.
5. Discuss the evolution of the AAMD/AAMR definition of mental retardation.
6. Discuss mental retardation as a developmental disability.
7. Discuss Greenspan’s definition of mental retardation.
8. Discuss the current four ideas regarding the definition and identification of mental
retardation.
9. Compare and contrast incidence and prevalence.
Answer Sheet
Multiple Choice True or False