Week 7 Assignment: Autism and Mental Retardation
CUT AND PASTE THIS ASSIGNMENT TO SUBMIT IT
Respond to the following:
1. List the primary features of autism.
• Unresponsive to others
• Uncommunicative
• Repetitive
• Rigid
• Pronominal Reversal
Language and communication problems
2. Which explanation for autism is no longer considered valid and lacks research support?
Theorists first believed that autism was due to family dysfunction and social stress. Kanner thought that particular personality characteristics of the parents caused an unfavorable climate for development and contributed to the child’s disorder. Research has been unable to support this theory. Another theory that was not supported is a high degree of social and environmental stress.

3. What forms of treatment are helpful for a person with autism?
There is no treatment that reverses the autistic pattern, but behavioral therapy, communication training, parent training, and community integration are very beneficial.
4. List the criteria for a diagnosis of mental retardation:

People tend to be diagnosed with mental retardation when they display general intellectual functioning that is well below average also have poor adaptive behavior.
5. Explain one way in which sociocultural biases in testing might pose problems for assessing mental retardation.
Intelligence test are biased due to the fact that middle and upper socioeconomic class have an advantage.
6. Of the four levels of mental retardation, into which category do most people with mental retardation fall?

Mild retardation is the category most people fall into with 80-85% of people suffering from this.
7. What are the main types of biological causes of mental retardation?
• Chromosomal causes
• Genetic factors
• Metabolic causes
• Prenatal and birth related causes

8. What is the only way to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome?
The only way to prevent feta; alcohol syndrome is for the mother not to consume alcohol while pregnant.
9. What are normalization and mainstreaming?
Normalization is to place the patient in living conditions similar to those that are enjoyed by the rest of the society such as flexible routines, and normal developmental experiences. This gives opportunity for self-determination, sexual fulfillment, and economic freedom.
Mainstreaming is when they place the patient in regular classes with non retarded students.
10. What is your opinion about mainstreaming and normalization for children and adults with autism or mental retardation?

In my opinion I think that normalization may be the best approach for patients with mental retardation. I feel this way due to the fact that a mental retarded student will be an easy target for other students when they are mainstreaming them into regular class rooms. I personally think this would be a very scary situation that a mental retarded student would not know how to handle.