What is the crieteria of mental retardation?
There are three criteria for mental retardation. 1) IQ must be
below approximately 70, as measured by an intelligence test, or in
roughly the bottom 2% of the population. 2) This decline in IQ must
interfere with the person's ability to function in daily life. For
example, a person with mild mental retardation may have difficulty
handling money, cooking for themselves, or taking medicine as
prescribed. 3) Onset of these difficulties must occur prior to age
18. This is why, when a person develops these problems as a result
of Alzheimer's Disease or other dementia, they are not described as
mentally retarded.