Appendix F: Autism and Mental Retardation

University of Phoenix Material

Appendix F

Autism and Mental Retardation

Respond to the following:

1. List the primary features of autism.

Unresponsive to others, uncommunicative, repetitive, and rigid.

2. Which explanation for autism is no longer considered valid and lacks research support?

Social culture models of autism lacking support for the autism research. It describes autism as being developed through parental or caregiver responses to the child with autism that are rejecting the child, rigid and not socially stable. This theory has been rejected.

3. What forms of treatment are helpful for a person with autism? Behavioral theories, communication training, parenting training, and community integration.

4. List the criteria for a diagnosis of mental retardation: Intellectual disabilities, intellectual functioning, or poor adaptive behavior.

5. Explain one way in which sociocultural biases in testing might pose problems for assessing mental retardation. Some individuals may receive the diagnosis partly because of test flaws, cultural differences, discomfort with the testing situation, or the bias of a tester.

6. Of the four levels of mental retardation, into which category do most people with mental retardation fall? The mild retardation category.

7. What are the main types of biological causes of mental retardation? Affected greatly by family and social environment, genetic factors in the form of chromosomal or metabolic disorders, or birth injuries.

8. What is the only way to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome? By not drinking while you’re pregnant.

9. What are normalization and mainstreaming? Normalization is when they attempt to provide living conditions similar to those enjoyed by the rest of society flexible routines, and normal developmental experiences including opportunities for self-determination, sexual fulfillment and economic freedom.

Mainstreaming is when they are placed in regular classes with non retarded students.

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