![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Intelligence quotient (I.Q.) tests are designed to measure intellectual functioning. 9 The first step for diagnosing and classifying a person as having mental retardation is for a qualified person to give one or more standardized intelligence tests and a standardized adaptive skills test on an individual basis. According to the most widely used definition of mental retardation, it is characterized by three criteria: significantly subaverage intellectual functioning concurrent and related limitations in two or more adaptive skill areas and manifestation before age eighteen. Mental retardation is a lifelong condition of impaired or incomplete mental development. When a person with mental retardation confronts the criminal justice system, they are uniquely unable to take advantage of legal safeguards and to protect their constitutional rights. Nevertheless, misunderstanding of the unique nature and implications of mental retardation remains widespread. 8 In recent decades there have been significant gains in understanding the nature of the condition, in the provision of education and other services that meet the unique needs of those who are mentally retarded, and in the willingness of the public to accord them the respect and rights they deserve as human beings and citizens. People with mental retardation in the U.S., currently estimated to number between 6.2 and 7.5 million, have historically been victimized both by their disability and by public prejudice and ignorance. Beyond Reason: Mental Retardation: An Overview ![]()
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