Changing of Term Mental Retardation to Intellectual Disability - Essay Sample

Introduction

Mental retardation which was altered to intellectual disability is a term which was considered by people to be offensive and outdated. Changing of the word it could have led to the development of new attitudes to persons with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, intellectual disability is the neurodevelopment disorder which is characterized by the impairment of the adaptive and mental functioning. This condition might be caused by illnesses such as meningitis, head injury, extreme malnutrition, and problems which arise during childbirth and pregnancy. The journal titles exemplify the transition of the mental retardation to the intellectual disability, organization names, and the published research. Some question which emerged due to the increase in the usage of intellectual disability is the reason for preferring intellectual disability over mental retardation, how the usage of intellectual disability would pose an impact in the definition of mental retardation and the way this term will affect individuals who are diagnosed with this condition. This paper will focus on the renaming of mental retardation to intellectual disability.

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Terms Used in Understanding Intellectual Disability

Construct

These are the ideas which were formed by the arrangement of the elements from the observed phenomenon. The construct of the term intellectual disability is contained within the broader constructs of disability and those of intellectual disability. The constructs of disability are based on the limitation of expressions among the persons functioning within a given context hence representing a particular disadvantage to the person. Disability results from the impairment of the body structures and their functions and how people are restricted within the environmental and personal contextual factors. The emergence of construct over the past years has developed due to recognizing the human functioning multidimensionality and the fading of the social and biological causes of the disability (Schalock, Ruth and Karrie 116-124). Due to these factors, the disability concept evolved from the characteristic of an individual to the social factors affecting these persons.

The Definition

An intellectual disability which was being referred to as the mental retardation was defined by the AAIDD which remain to be useful currently and in the future. Various assumptions of the intellectual disability promoted its application. For example, the challenges in the current functioning of an individual tend to be considered in the context of a society's environment that is under the culture and age of a person. Also, conducting an assessment to the people would help in determining their differences in behavioral, communication, motor, and sensory factors. Describing the challenges of people would assist in identifying their intellectual problem thus providing them with the appropriate support(Schalock et al 116-124). The definition of the term intellectual disability can make a person to acquire or not acquire various services, exempted or not exempted to accessing multiple functions and be entitled or not entitled to numerous programs.

Approaches Which Promoted the Definition of Intellectual Disability/Mental Retardation

Clinical Approach

The meaning of this term shifted to persons' clinical and complex symptoms. The strategy focused on the medical models which determined the heredity of people and their functions of the organist. Through this intellectual disability could be defined based on the genetic factors of the individual hence making health care providers and other persons to understand them better. Also, the mental approach worked for hand in hand with the clinical approach where the intellectual functioning was measured using the IQ score (Finlay, Chris and Charles 349-360). The IQ based statistical values helped in classifying and defining the group where mentally ill persons belonged.

Dual-Criterion Approach

This approach tended to utilize the adaptive behavior and the intellectual functioning in defining mental retardation as the sub-average functioning which emerges from the developmental period hence being associated with the social, maturation and learning impairments. Learning, social adjustments and maturation were used under the adaptive behavior which could lead to the intellectual inability (Finlay 349-360). Therefore, this approach has involved the age at which the condition starts hence becoming an accompanying element.

Causes of Intellectual Disabilities

Hereditary Conditions

This condition might result from the abnormalities of an individual's gene which are acquired from the parents, various disorders which resulting from infection of pregnancy and being exposed to X-rays. For example, children might have a defective enzyme thus not being able to process part of the phenylalanine protein. If the abnormality is not treated in due time the protein concentrates into the blood leading to intellectual disability. Also, the chromosomal disorder which is a mental disability tends to be caused by very many or few chromosomes in the body (Koehler 727-734). The single gene disorders tend to cause this disability since it is located in the X chromosomes.

Cultural and Poverty Deprivations

Children who grow up in poverty tend to be affected by malnutrition, health hazards in the ecosystem and childhood diseases leading to intellectual disability. Children develop stress which affects their mental ability hence being at risk of being affected by this disability. Those in disadvantaged areas are deprived of educational and cultural experiences which are given to other children (Koehler 727-734). The under-stimulation of these activities leads to intellectual disability among young individuals.

Reasons for Changing Mental Retardation to the Intellectual Disability Based on the Construct

The use of intellectual disability would enhance communication between different people and the countries thus being used consistently by various people. The policymakers, physicians, clinicians, and the professional organization would use this term thus making it understood across every field. Also, the word was changed to help in the representation of the new knowledge thus incorporating current knowledge as it develops (Schalock et al 116-124). Intellectual disability seemed to be robust in permitting its use for different reasons such as the classification, diagnoses, and definition of the word. Therefore, mental retardation was associated with not communicating dignity and respect to the affected individuals.

Changing the term mental retardation to intellectual disability makes the word to become consistent with the international terminologies hence being non-offensive to those with the disability. Referring to an individual as being mentally retarded made them feel disrespected and lowered their self-esteem. Intellectual disability is recognized all over the world and policies set by the governments would help in favoring people with disabilities (Schalock et al 116-124). Also, changing the term aligned appropriately with the professional practices which focused on the contextual and professional factors of a person.

Conclusion

An intellectual disability which was previously called the mental retardation was coined to the new term through its construct and definition. Different approaches were used to understand the intellectual disability in both elders and children. The heredity approach heredity and clinical approach helped clinicians and medical providers to understand the diverse causes of this condition. Changing the term medical retardation to intellectual disability helped the affected persons not to feel disrespected. The new term also became consistent with other international terminologies hence being understood by other persons.

Work Cited

Finlay, William ML, Chris Walton, and Charles Antaki. "Promoting choice and control in residential services for people with learning disabilities." Disability & Society 23.4 (2008): 349-360.Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2788.2008.01101.x

Koehler, Katrin, et al. "Mutations in GMPPA cause a glycosylation disorder characterized by intellectual disability and autonomic dysfunction." The American Journal of Human Genetics 93.4 (2013): 727-734.Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3791256/

Schalock, Robert L., Ruth A. Luckasson, and Karrie A. Shogren. "The renaming of mental retardation: Understanding the change to the term intellectual disability." Intellectual and developmental disabilities 45.2 (2007): 116-124.Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51391963_The_Renaming_of_Mental_Retardation_Understanding_the_Change_to_the_Term_Intellectual_Disability