"Mental Retardation"

I believe that those who were diagnosed with such broad diagnoses in the past are being re-evaluated and some are found to have autism or something else. There are categories that exist now that didn't even 10 years ago. I read something similar where a man in his late 40's was evaluated and found to have high functioning autism, but had been misdiagnosed with multiple things when he was younger.

I think a lot of people are missing the point of your post. You're not talking about NOW -you're talking about in the past -before evaluations, IQ testing, before anyone even heard of autism or there was even a diagnosis of it. YES, years ago there were many autistic people classified as "mentally retarded" -not because they weren't intelligent, but because until the 1970s, any kind of mental abnormality was often lumped in a huge barrel called "retarded" and hidden away from the rest of society. It's quite sad, but it's certainly true. Many autistic and Asperber's people were probably "odd Aunt Sally" or "strange Uncle Paul" because they obviously could reason, were intelligent and did function on their own -but they had some peculiar quirks or whatnot. However, for autistic people on different parts of the spectrum -those who don't speak or make strange sounds -that sort of thing was called "retarded." Who knows how many genius-level people were institutionalized, hidden away, etc.? But just because we wouldn't make those mistakes now, doesn't mean they weren't made constantly in the past. I'm 41, and I went through school with a boy I'm pretty sure has/had Asperger's Syndrome. He was smart and could do the school work, and his parents refused to have him tested, but he acted bizarrely. He was completely socially inept. This was the 70s and 80s and he got labeled "retarded" all the time. Imagine what someone in the 1870s or 1880s would have been called and labeled that by everyone.

No

That term refers to a lower than a 70 IQ. There are no other disabilities that cause the low IQ.

A normal IQ is usually 70 and up. Stephan Hawkins in supposed to be close to 195 but he is an exception.

A person diagnosed with Mental Retardation has an IQ of 69 or less and has no other diagnosis that causes this lower IQ.

For example, Downs' syndrome is a diagnosed disability and one of the parts of it is lower IQ but it is also a processing information issue among a whole list of other things. The lower IQ is part of their disability but not the whole disability.

A person who has a low IQ can be normal in looks, normal in the way they process the world, normal in the way they relate to family and friends. They can marry, have normal kids, have high school diplomas, etc....they just have a harder time learning and it takes them more time. Some things will obviously be out of reach mentally for them, such as higher mathematics and chemistry but pretty much everything else can be accomplished that is basic common knowledge. They can have harder times in certain areas of thinking, such as their spatial abilities. They might go to Walmart every day of the week and still not be able to find their way to the front doors.

Someone that has Autism falls into a totally different category of disability.

Learning disabilities are diagnosed when a person is having a hard time in one or a few areas of learning. They may not be able to understand math well but excel in every other subject. I have a friend who owns her own successful business and runs it very well. She provides for her family and makes lots of money. She has several diagnosed learning disabilities that effect her math skills and spelling. She has an accountant to do the math and she has an assistant to do any writing of letters. She is very smart and is not disabled in any way because she adapted her environment to her needs.

wow - I haven't heard mentally retarded in years!! and i mean YEARS - like decades!!! It's not politically correct to say that anymore!!

Being mentally retarded is NOT autism. Mentally retarded has to do with the person's IQ and ability to reason, thought process, etc. Autism is NOT that.

Either issue needs to be evaluated by a trained doctor...you can have a ton of people say "well that looks like autism to me" or "he's a spectrum child" - but until they are tested by a trained doctor - it's all hearsay - best bet is to not get involved in the gossip....let the professionals handle it.

No, they are very different things, IMO, although MR was probably a catch-all term for a whole bunch of things that now have more specific names.

There are low-functioning and high-functioning degrees of autism that deal with IQ.....I teach a low-functioning autistic classroom and their autism causes processing issues in their way of thinking and understanding the world around them. Ex: They may be able to read but lack the comprehension skills to answer basic questions about what they read. So, to those who say autism has nothing to do with IQ....not entirely so......

To answer your question: Yes, many disabilities that are labeled and defined today were once lumped under the category of being "mentally retarded" because they were not fully understood. There has been a lot of research within the past few decades and we are making great gains in understanding exceptionalities. Older people who remain undiagnosed may not know until they are observed and examined by a doctor and the family provides input as to their own observations and concerns.

I understand your question!

Years back, almost NOTHING was known about autism--only the completely "zero eye contact, sitting in a corner rocking" autism was even MAYBE recognized and heard of.

I know several examples of adults (40+) who are clearly autistic (mild, Aspergers, etc.) now working jobs, who were never diagnosed--so clearly not mentally impaired but autistic.

Many WERE wrongly diagnosed as mentally retarded years back, as were lots of other disabilities...

Mental retardation used to be the term used for all sorts of issues. Autism is one of those issues but not the only one by far!

Trisomy 18 is another thing that used to be classified as mentally retarded...

They can usually make a "best guess" by what the person looked like or the idiosyncrasies described. This is not a definitive diagnosis though.

Autism does not effect intelligence it is social interaction so there is no way the two could have been mixed up, ever.

My uncle has Down Syndrome and he was called retarded. I think it meant, in general, "slow". Like how flame retardant clothing isn't fireproof, but slow to catch? It has been quite a number of years since I've heard that term. Early 90s I suppose?
I think it was a blanket term people gave anyone that wasn't falling into what they thought was "the norm" back then. I'm glad that schools and people have come a long way since then.

Low IQ determined retardation. Plus, some have unique facial characteristics.

Mental Retardation comes in many forms.... basically, it is that a person is incapable of performing the tasks that most people can do at that age.

There are many different disabilities..... but if you look at how schools class things, sometimes these are based on traditional "IQ" tests....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford%E2%80%93Binet_Intel...

However, some of those may be "culturally biased" .... in that what a child/person deals with on a daily basis may be different than what is being tested. Also, some kids, do to the inability to respond appropriately, may not be able to be tested....

Autism is different... and there are many facets of the Autism spectrum. Much of what they are seeing in Autism is that it is actually a communication-based disorder... they are seeing some commonality in genetics in communication areas. A person with some of the different Autism spectrum disorders may not be able to communicate their feelings very well, or be able to pick up on body language.... but they may still be extremely smart.

I hope this answered some of what you were wondering?

About 30 years ago my girlfriend's brother (twin) was brought to their doctor and evaluated. There were some things going on and her parents were worried. He took the "test" and came up two points shy of mental retardation. Now, as an adult, my friend has reconnected with her brother and she is watching him and said....oh my god....he's just like my son!! Her son was just diagnosed with autism.
So, I *think* that back in the day people may have been labeled slow or retarded when in actuality they had autism or something else going on that may not have been diagnosed the way things are today.
Of course...I am not a doctor and have no medical training, just going on life experience. :)
L.