What causes eating disorders – the main reasons

Genetic Factors: Anorexia is thought to be a major reason behind eating disorders and if you have a relative with anorexia, the chances that you will suffer from the disorder increases by 8 times. Through recent researches, scientists discovered specific chromosomes attributing to eating disorder such as Chromosome 10. Additionally, Serotonin, a brain chemical is known to affect the well-being and appetite of a human being. Certain genetic factors influence the presence of serotonin in human brain.

Hormonal Factors: This is a common reason behind eating disorders. Chemical abnormalities in human reproductive organs and thyroid lead to stress and less appetite. The primary setting behind many of these abnormalities actually originate from the limbic system, a small area in human brain. HPA, also known as Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal axis is known to play a very important role in case of eating disorders.

Cultural Pressures: The fast pace of life in this new century calls for ready-made junk foods which we can’t help but consume. This definitely results into developing a bad food habit and that may eventually become a major catalyst behind one suffering from eating disorder.

Family Influences: Negative family influences can cause eating disorder in the family members. Poor parenting from the father or mother can cause eating disorders. If the family has previous record of addictions or emotional disorders, the descendants can suffer from eating disorder too. Experiences of sexual abuse at a younger age can also lead to eating disorder when the person becomes matured.

Symptoms of eating disorders

There are different symptoms of eating disorders and below are those explained:

• A person may start buying excessive amounts of food which is not pretty common.
• The person may start going to the bathroom at a regular basis after taking meals.
• You can see redness in his eyes due to broken blood vessels. This is generally caused from the strain of vomiting.
• You can notice pouch like appearance in the person’s face. This is caused by the swollen salivary glands. The mouth also seems pretty dry all the time. The gums may also look dry and tooth cavities can also be experienced.
• The skin can get filled with rashes or pimples.
• The person can start compulsive exercising.
• The patient can get uncomfortable while eating with others.
• The hands and feet can get swollen as well.
• Menstrual periods in a woman can become infrequent.
• A patient can show lack of judgment skills. The memory power can get worsened as well.

The different types of eating disorders

There are different types of eating disorders and those are mentioned below:

• Compulsive eating disorder
• Emotional eating disorder
• Anorexia Nervosa
• Bulimia Nervosa
• Purging Disorder
• Rumination
• Pica
• Night Eating Syndrome
• Orthorexia Nervosa
• Drunkorexia
• Diabulimia
• Pregorexia

Eating disorder is completely curable when you opt for the correct treatment plan. So no need to panic even if you notice it in your friend or relative, take the necessary actions and he should do fine.

Things don’t always go plan wise and many women start panicking during the time of pregnancy. Yes, anxiety during pregnancy is a reality and things get started with normal things such as what to eat, what to drink or even what to think. Pregnant women also start worrying about the health of the baby. Some are always occupied with the thoughts like whether she will become a good mother or not. You are bound to get tensed when you are pregnant, but, if your stress surpasses the limits, problems start right then. In such a case, pregnant women don’t understand that such kind of anxiety during pregnancy can actually cause their baby harm, than doing any good.

Below are some of the options that can be tried out if you understand that you are having anxiety during pregnancy. Remember, self-help is the best help till the time you have some sort of control on yourself:

Share the fears with the partner or others

This is the first step in dealing with anxiety during pregnancy. Share whatever fears you have with your partner. It is important for him to know about your thoughts as well. You are living with a person and it is most obvious that he will comfort you in the best possible manner. He may be having his concerns as well regarding having the baby. You two may share a few common tensions too and a discussion will certainly help you out. If you feel like doing it, you can share your thoughts with your family members or friends as well. Particularly, if you know other pregnant women, it is good to discuss with them as well. Pregnant women generally experience similar kind of worries and a discussion can be really fruitful.

Music therapy

This has been proven to work against anxiety during pregnancy. To do this successfully, you have to get professional help. The counselor will discuss with the soon-to-be mother and find out what kind of music she likes. It is seen that if the pregnant woman continues music therapy for seven days constitutively (one session is enough for each day and each session should be around of 30 minutes), positive results are immediately visible.

Counseling Sessions

This is extremely helpful if you actually feel the importance of the same. Mental counselors know what they’re doing and they are paid to do that job.

They understand how to deal with anxiety during pregnancy and they will offer the best possible help to you and your kid. Don’t hesitate to visit a counselor when things start getting problematic.

You can also visit a doctor to treat anxiety. But, doctors in such a crucial time of your life generally refrain from suggesting any sort of drugs. Medication is generally not made a part of anxiety disorder treatment during pregnancy, until it is absolutely mandatory to do so.

Overlooked Appearance

Teenage is usually the age when the individuals love to maintain their personality and appearance. However, depression makes them neglect things like bathing regularly and combing their hair. The symptoms of depression in teenagers include untidy hair, poor selection of clothes and loss of enthusiasm in getting ready. In short, depressed teenagers tend to neglect their persona altogether.

Extreme Aggression

Being aggressive is usually associated with teenagers. However, over-aggressiveness should be counted as a suspicious behavior. Getting angry on small issues, conflicts with friends and indulgence in violent acts may point towards depression in a teenager.

Intense Sensitivity

One of the common child depression symptoms is irritability as it is the only way they know how to express their uneasiness. Teenagers on the other hand show hypersensitivity under depression. They may burst into tears on very small things and many even show powerful emotions.

Low Mood and Lack of Interest

One of the common symptoms of depression in teens is their usually low mood. They may show little or no interest in doing things. Even the activities of immense pleasure may fail to trigger happiness in them. In simple words, the depressed teenagers become apathetic in life and isolate from the society.

Guilt and Worthlessness

Past failures are among the common reasons for depression in teens. These circumstances induce the feeling of guilt in them which overpower all other emotions. A devastating result is that teenagers start assuming themselves as unworthy and unwanted. Such feelings can be easily seen in their talks and behaviors.

Reckless and Risky Behavior

Another set of symptoms of depression in teenagers is related to increase in their reckless and risk-taking activities. They may engage into dangerous driving or start taking other life-threatening risks in a casual way. In addition, teenagers under depression may show reckless behavior by switching to alcohol and drugs.

Physical Symptoms

Symptoms of depression in teens are not limited to their behavior, but it may also affect their state of being healthy. Fatigue, body aches and pains, abnormal weight change, lack of energy and disturbed sleeping habits are among the common depression signs in them.

Metal Impairments

Anxiety, lack of concentration and memory loss are some of the impairments that may affect the healthy state of teenage minds overpowered by depression. It is common to find the drop in the grades of such sufferers.

Most importantly, the teenagers may talk or show signs about the suicidal thoughts they experience under depression. Ignoring these symptoms; considering them as the normal signs of teenage, may result in serious consequences. Spend time with them to help them spell out their condition.

How is Down Syndrome Inherited?

In most of the cases, it is not. Only, translocated down syndrome can be passed to the kid from his parent. If the father is the carrier, chances are 3% that the kid may have down syndrome. The same risk increases to 10%-15% if, the mother is the carrier.

Trisomy 21

The term “Trisomy” actually originated from a Greek word which means the “Third Copy.” Trisomy 21 is the most common cause of down syndrome, in fact 90% of the time; this has been identified to be the main reason of a newborn having down syndrome. A child has 3 copies of Chromosome 21, instead of the regular 2, in case he has trisomy 21. During the development of sperm cell, in case, if cells are divided abnormally, trisomy 21 may appear in the newborn.

Mosaic Down syndrome

This is one of the rarest causes of down syndrome. This is caused by abnormal human cell division after the fertilization process is complete. A child in this case, has some cells with the extra copy of Chromosome 21.

Translocation Down syndrome

This genetic disorder may happen before or after the conception happens. In this case, a part of the 21^st chromosome gets attached to another chromosome. This is rare and if this happens, the kid does not have an extra copy of 21^st Chromosome, unlike other causes of down syndrome. However, the translocated chromosome has some part of the 21^st Chromosome attached with it. Only 4% of the total cases of down syndrome are known to be caused by translocation of Chromosome 21.

Risk factors

There are certain risk factors which are regarded as possible causes of down syndrome and here are those explained:

Environmental Factors:

• Using oral contraception
• Exposure to any sort of radiation or pesticides during pregnancy
• Smoking during pregnancy (This is not scientifically proven and these days many scientists are against this concept; that being said, smoking during pregnancy can still have detrimental effects on the new born)
• Living near the waste incinerators or landfill sites
• Exposure to virus or any other infectious agents during the time of pregnancy

There is no hard evidence or proven facts about down syndrome that support the aforementioned suggestions. That being said, researches are being conducted all over the world to understand what role these environmental factors may have on down syndrome (If any).

Maternal Age:

This is clearly a risk factor in case of down syndrome. Higher the age of the mother is, higher are the chances of she giving birth to a kid having down syndrome. The risk of the kid having down syndrome actually increases to around 3.5% in case the maternal age is above 45. The same however is less than 0.65% in case the mother is less than 30 years old.

Though it is a fact that no treatment for down syndrome can completely cure this disease, if a person with down syndrome can be taught basic self-help skills, he will surely live a better life.

Intervene early

If a kid has been identified with down syndrome, the first thing to do is starting the program of therapies. This generally involves different exercises, activities and medication that help the kid to cope up with the difficulties of life. The program also includes speech therapies which help the kid to communicate properly. The kids with down syndrome generally have small mouth and the tongue is a bit larger. Due to articulation problems such kids face difficulty in speaking clearly. The problem gets worsened by the fact that a Down syndrome affected kid can have hearing difficulties as well. A professional speech therapist generally helps a kid by teaching him different modes of communication with sign language and that forms the first part of treatment for down syndrome affected kids.

Physical Therapy

Kids with down syndrome have low muscle tone. They can’t move different parts of their body appropriately and the motor development is restricted as well. To help them, different physical therapies are used to improve their muscle tone. Though down syndrome affected kids can never have full mobility like a normal kid, different problems such as bad posture can certainly be avoided.

Other Treatments

As stated earlier as well, different physical problems are always associated with a person having down syndrome. Some of the common ones are: thyroid, heart defects, vision and hearing problems, Leukemia, seizure disorders etc. and there are professional practitioners for all these. You can take the down syndrome affected person to a doctor based on the actual problem faced. For example, pediatric endocrinologists can help control the thyroid problems. They generally suggest taking thyroid replacement hormones. On the other hand, there are different anti-seizure medications available to deal with seizure disorders. Cardiologists can help with heart problems. If required, he can suggest surgical procedure as well. Statistics say that around 35%-40% kids with down syndrome also suffer from congenital heart problems. Some of thesehow it

are mild in nature, some are severe. The latter cases sometimes require surgeries. Intestinal defects can also result into surgery. For other problems such as vision and hearing problems, the respective practitioners can help. You should keep one thing in mind that curing or keeping these diseases in control doesn’t have direct relation with the down syndrome disease. Treatments for down syndrome are actually different from these medications or surgical procedures.

Adulthood

As a down syndrome affected kid gets older, he faces new challenges and tries to discover new ways to deal with the hardships of actual life. Sadly, even in this 21st century, many people look down upon such patients. This is a shame as a bit of sympathy and willingness to help can make lives of such patients’ way better. There are numerous group homes and assisted living centers which give down syndrome affected people shelter. These days many down syndrome affected people are actually staying away from their respective families. They are even participating in small jobs that require less physical strength. Occupational therapists can help to adopt necessary skills. This is important for the transition and thus a down syndrome affected person can learn self-help skills as well. Remember, without the basic self-help skills, it is impossible for patient to survive for long.

Older Individuals

With time, a person with down syndrome may develop depression. Instances of the patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease have also been reported. The treatment plans for these diseases are pretty much similar to what is used for normal patients.

These days, you will find several down syndrome support groups that bring syndrome affected people together. Such social gathering can definitely boost the confidence of the patients. It also helps when the support groups take patients to counselors for a few sessions. Treatment for down syndrome is not a one-time process like other diseases. It continues until the life of the patient ends. All the treatments for down syndrome try to make the world a better place for down syndrome affected people. Without the help of the family, it gets almost impossible to achieve that.

• A British physician named John Langdon Down described this syndrome and its causes for the first time in the year 1866. The disease was named “Down Syndrome” after the name of this physician.
• Though Down syndrome is caused by accidental chromosome arrangement during meiosis, it is not inherited in general (Only around 3%-5% cases have been reported as inherited). Hence, if someone has one kid with down syndrome already, it’s not necessary, that the second kid will have down syndrome as well. This is one of the most interesting facts about down syndrome.
• Women with Down syndrome are fertile in general, but not men (Recently, certain reports of Down syndrome affected men fathering children have surfaced though).
• Mothers over 35 years of age are more prone to giving birth to down syndrome affected kids, in comparison with younger women (Less than 30 years of age).
• Though heavy drinking is strictly prohibited during pregnancy, this is not anyway related with the kid getting down syndrome. Down syndrome happens right at the time of conception, so nothing during the pregnancy should cause this disease in the newborn.
• There has been a huge misconception regarding the connection between down syndrome and fluoridated water supply. However, recent researches have suggested against this. Not only that, but fluoride isn’t harmful to down syndrome affected kids either, contrary to popular beliefs (If taken in proper quantity).
• Adults with down syndrome are more prone to suffer from Alzheimer disease. In general, 16%-50% of adults suffering from down syndrome get Alzheimer as well. This is quite high when compared to the fact that only 5%-10% of general population grows Alzheimer disease after a certain age.
• For young adults, the average IQ is around 100. For young adults with down syndrome, it comes down to 50-60 though. They also suffer from high degree of intellectual disability.
• It is hard to guess down syndrome life expectancy in general. Around 88% of the kids survive after their first year, whereas, the rate goes down to 82% after the kid reaches 10 years. Down syndrome affected adults may survive up to 50 years, if he has good self-help skills such as self-feeding, mobility etc. However, a person who lacks those skills may not live beyond mid 40s (This is general statistic, by no way, this is always the case).

These days, people with down syndrome not only pass high school, but, also opt for post-secondary education. They are even participating in paid jobs these days. With a little bit of sympathetic attitude from others, they can surely live a better life.

Generally, a fertilized egg contains 23 pairs of chromosomes. However, in case of Down syndrome, an extra copy of Chromosome 21 is present; this is known as Trisomy 21. This Trisomy 21 chromosome results into abnormal development of body and brain of a child.

Now, as you are wondering what is down syndrome, let us discuss some most interesting facts about down syndrome. Down syndrome can be identified before the baby is born if the mother undergoes tests suggested by the doctors. It can be detected after the baby is born as well and generally the mother’s age can have a probable effect on whether a kid will have Down syndrome or not. Maternal age actually is one of the biggest causes of down syndrome. In general, for mothers less than 30 years old, the probability of the kid having Down syndrome is around 0.1%. The same actually jumps up to around 3% for mothers who are more than 45 years old.

General Symptoms of Down syndrome

Certain physical symptoms of Down syndrome are:

• The muscle tone is generally poor. The ligaments are found to be loose in people suffering from Down syndrome.

• Deep crease can be visible in the hand palms.

• The hands and feet are much smaller than a normal adult of the same age.

• The neck is generally short in length and the ears are abnormally shaped as well.

• The face is usually flat and an upward slant towards the eyes is visible.

• You can notice white spots on eyes’ iris on a Down syndrome affected person.

• A patient suffering from Down syndrome generally experiences other health problems as well, such as: hearing incapability, congenital heart disease, celiac disease, eye problems, skeletal problems, Dementia, intestinal problems, thyroid problems etc.

Apart from the physical symptoms: people with Down syndrome show slow mental development. They lack the social, conceptual and practical skills required to survive in daily life. They have low IQs and show delayed language development.

Treatment for Down Syndrome

Treatment for down syndrome includes: speech therapy, occupation therapy etc. If students with Down syndrome are given special attention, they generally integrate properly with other students. Professionals also suggest different exercises (Both physical and mental) so that kids with Down syndrome can improve their understandings on different aspects.

It may not be possible to cure Down syndrome completely; however, an early intervention ensures that a person with this disease lives an almost normal life.

1) World of Warcraft

A massively popular multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft has many infamous stories of those addicted to it. What makes the game extremely addictive is the level of control it provides to make everything possible in a virtual world. The ardent players of the game claim that they experience star-like or God-like qualities while leveling up the game. The game has already won many awards for being the most addictive game.

2) Starcraft

The personal computer video game with millions of copies sold worldwide till date, Starcraft has been responsible for divorces and school dropping across the world. The very idea of creating dominance at a newly found part of the Milky Way Galaxy is exciting. The advanced technologies of Protoss and intelligence of Zergs extend the interest of being a participant in the battle of power. Mental health specialists from many countries claim to have given antidepressant drugs to those addicted to video games versions of Starcraft.

3) Call of Duty

Visual madness and special effects make Call of Duty a highly admirable game among men. Modern Warfare series of the game in particular deserves to be among the top 10 most addicting games of all times. The stories of a woman in Utah listing her Cod addicted husband for sale and of a 46-year old man attacking his 13-year old gaming partner in Plymouth reveal the addictive nature of the game. The idea of being a part of army is “cool” for the players who boast of spending like 24 hours a day playing it. The availability of the game on PCs, consoles and handhelds makes it easily accessible.

4) Halo

The concept of power struggle between human race and aliens has helped many film and game franchises to taste unparalleled success; Halo is a prime example of that. The game has become one of the most prominent examples where virtual interaction take away the opportunities of face-to-face communication. Halo3: ODST and Halo: Reach versions are the most addictive of all the versions launched. The aspect that makes it addictive is the ease of multilayer interaction using headphones. Also, the online accessibility of the game is criticized for introducing internet addiction disorder.

5) Dark Cloud

Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud 2 emerged as one of the successful PlayStation 2 video game franchise from Japan. The role-playing game became instant success with its launch in Japan and in the countries of North America and Europe later. The elements like action-based role playing and city building make the game highly addictive for all types of players. Within the few levels of the game, it is easy for the players to continue the adventure without worrying about the eating and sleeping hours.

6) Tetris

The prolonged durations that the players of Tetris devote towards the game have devised popular terms like Tetris effect and Tetris syndrome. The regular players of the game actually start dreaming about the activities involving different types of Tetris shapes. Based on these reports, Tetris is often regarded as the most addictive game for many years now. The game has been studied to help in sharpening human brain, which appears as a positive aspect in the beginning, but may have long-term devastating results.

7) Diablo

Popular in the genres like action role-playing and horror, Diablo is known for its interesting trials. Diablo 2 and Diablo 3, the succeeding versions of the game attained similar levels of popularity. The features like easy reinforcement through various steps and the element of item gathering are the addicting aspects of the game. The psychological techniques used in different trials are the reasons that many experts cite for the addictive nature of the game.

8) Mass Effect

The online gaming forums and discussion boards are full of questions regarding addiction associated with Mass Effect. Mass Effect 2 is even more engaging as reported by many players addicted to video games. The role playing game is addictive due to the reason that despite of the same storyline for different playthroughs, one experiences a different kind of gaming every time. Mass Effect 3 was launched recently and as expected has the similar level of involvement for the gamers.

9) Skyrim

The way Skyrim has been designed explains what makes it so addictive. Regarded by many as number one among the top 10 most addicting games, the game has superb storyline, presentation of a massive world, excellent RPG elements and diverse gaming quests that keep the players absorbed. Those who have experienced playing it advocate the non-stop fun it offers in the activities like discovering treasures, collecting artifacts and utilizing different powers & capabilities to defeat the Dragon.

10) Final Fantasy

The game which has the ability to linger in your mind every hour of the day is Final Fantasy. The game was the first of its kind to introduce things like battle against groups of monsters, an early character-change system and a variety of transportation systems. The succeeding versions of the game introduced other things like activity-based progression, character progression engine and so on. Final Fantasy VII is considered as the most successful version and the most addicting one as well.

Those addicted to games experience damaged social life, mood swings, mental complications as well as sleeping disorders. Intervention from parents and guardians is important at an early stage to maintain the entertainment value of the games and to suppress their addicting nature. However, the addiction for these games is not only found among children and teenagers, but in adults as well. Fixing the time limits and schedules and giving importance to other commitments in life are the things that can prevent from being extremely dependent on the virtual gaming world.

Facebook Addiction Disorder (Abbreviation: FAD) is a reality and if you spend hours in this social networking site, thereby hampering your health balance – you probably need to be cautious. It can be defined as one type of Internet Addiction Disorder. Teenagers are more prone to be affected by it and you need to be cautious as well if you have a kid who is a regular Facebook user. Here are some signs that will help you to understand whether you or your kids have got Facebook addiction disorder or not:

Facebook Addiction Disorder Symptoms

• If you restrict your kid from accessing Facebook, try to notice his behavior. Does he withdraw himself from his regular activities? Does he keep talking about Facebook, his status updates and get anxious often? If answers to these questions are yes, it’s time to get serious. Also, check out how much time in his daily schedule does he spend on Facebook? If it’s more than 5 hours, it got to be affecting his daily lifestyle and if it is indeed the case, you should be more cautious.

• Do you indulge into virtual dates these days? Are you reluctant to go out for dinner parties or movies and only chat with people when they are online? It’s definitely a sign of having FAD.

• Are you being friends with strangers more? If around 7 out of every 10 Facebook friends of yours are strangers to you, this is a serious case of FAD.

• Social Involvement of a person is affected hugely while suffering from FAD. He stops going outdoors or interacting with friends, he stops almost everything that he used to love doing before signing up for Facebook. Some extreme situations are: sending a Facebook messenger chat instead of meeting a friend or date personally, refusing to take phone calls from parents and asking them to come online on Facebook instead etc. Even if they meet new people in a party of some family get-together, they keep talking about Facebook. Sometimes, you can even see such a person saying a stranger that they can talk via Facebook. In case of extreme situation, the affected person will make Facebook pages for his pets, house or even other family members who are not on Facebook.

How to Treat Facebook Addiction Disorder?

First of all, understand one thing: self-help works best in these situations. However, that does not apply if your kid has got FAD (Because, he is not mature enough to understand the consequences) and hence we will first state what to do for your kid’s FAD treatment:

• Though scolding or punishing seem the best ideas for parents; this is not recommended at all. Understand one thing, your kid has tuned to Facebook, most probably, because you have not been able to give him enough time. If, you, as a parent, were his friend, he would not have any need to go to Facebook for searching friends.

• The first thing you can do is spending more time with him. Don’t banish him from surfing on Facebook; this will have a negative impact instead. Rather, try to indulge him into activities that he will enjoy. Thus, he won’t be left with much time to spend on Facebook. You can always plan for a trip outside with no access to internet, organize a birthday party for your kid (It has to be something that the kid has to be a part of, he obviously cannot skip his own birthday parties) etc. During summer vacations, you can send him to a summer camp where he will love to spend some time with his friends (Initially, he may resist going to a summer camp, but, it will depend on how you can make him understand).

• You can also use parental control software to block your kid’s access to Facebook or other time-consuming websites. However, this should only be done in extreme case, when nothing else works.

• Facebook Addiction Disorder in kids doesn’t last for long and the symptoms start disappearing as they grow up and learn other important aspects of life. So, keep patience.

Now, let’s discuss, how as an adult, you can get over Facebook Addiction Disorder:

• First of all, unsubscribe from Facebook email notifications. Hence, you won’t be receiving all those emails containing details of who poked you, liked your status or made a comment on it.

• Allot yourself a pre-decided time to login and check updates on Facebook (As small as possible, but, not more than 60 minutes a day under any circumstances). You should set some external timer that will remind you that the allotted time period is over. Never ever cross the time allotted, otherwise, this process won’t yield any result.

• Remove the Facebook app from your smartphone.

• Purge your Facebook friend list. Delete those whom you don’t know or never intend to meet either, from your friend list.

• Make one day of your week Facebook free! For better results, have a vacation during a weekend and don’t access Facebook while you’re on the vacation.

• Stay away from the addictive Facebook games (Farmville, Cityville, Mafia Wars, Galacticos Football etc.) and remove other apps which you hardly use from your Facebook profile.

• Stop updating your profile on every hour, there is no need to let the world know everything about your personal life. I know that sharing is caring, but, you never share the darkest secrets of your life, right? Think of Facebook status updates the very same way

FAD can mostly be treated through self-help or a bit of parental guidance. However, if things have taken a serious turn, consult a psychologist at the earliest. He will suggest proper medication, diet and overall treatment plan for you. Stick to that and you will eventually learn how to live your life without Facebook or using it at the very minimum level.

Please add comments, I would like to hear your toughs about Facebook addiction. Also, make sure to share this post with your friends on Facebook. What an irony!

How to Define?

Mild mental retardation is often defined as a learning disability. In other words, it is the slowdown of intellectual development in the children that keeps their mental growth few years behind the normal children. Intelligence quotient (IQ) has always been the most simplified way to rate mental retardation as mild, moderate, severe or profound. So, what is mind mental retardation in terms of IQ score? The individuals showing IQ score between 50 and 70 are known to be affected with mild mental retardation.

How to Identify?

The symptoms of mild mental retardation are identified in comparison with the normal mental growth of children in that particular age. The most noticeable of these symptoms include:

• Slowdown of cognitive development, which includes difficulty and delay in oral communication, speech development and power to remember.

• Lack of the ability to immediately grasp the verbal and written signs.

• Lack of the ability to remember adaptive functioning skills like keeping the things organized and maintaining hygiene.

• Easy frustration, bad temper and irritability due to lack of understanding the things.

• Low confidence or self-esteem.

Expectations during Childhood and Later Stages

The children suffering from mild mental retardation are usually not distinguished during first five years of age (preschool years). However, they may show slow development in the areas like speech and motor skills. When put in school, these children in general show the development of skills up to 6^th grade level, though the process of learning is slower. Up to the age of 20 years, the patients are expected to learn basic rules of life. During the phase of adult age starting from age 20, these individuals can be made capable of leading a self-dependent life.

What Is Required – Modifications in Training

Modifications need to be introduced in the process of learning to accommodate the mild mental retardation patients. Some examples would include:

• Repeated reminders to help them remember the things.

• Encouraging confidence and self-esteem through special attention.

• Helping them to build social behavior through supervised interactions.

• Making oral communication simplified with easy words and short sentences.

• Using pictorial signs and clues to make the things clear.

• Devising different than usual methods of performance evaluation.

Well, mind mental retardation should be understood by the parents, teachers and the society as a whole. Love, care, devotion and patience are the qualities that these individuals need to adopt towards the patients to provide them the right kind of assistance. If you want to know more about other mental retardation types read my blog post here.