Nature of Mental Retardation (US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1968)

This presentation describes the etiology of mental retardation and discusses the potential for rehabilitation counselling and work potential in the various levels of retardation. In this presentation normal intellectual growth and development are first described. The effects of the inadequate intellectual functioning on the life of the retarded child are then explored. While the child with an intelligence quotient below 84 is considered to be retarded, this program stresses the importance of his adaptive behavior rather than his I.Q. in considering his potential for training and productive work. The etiology of mental retardation is then considered. Eight general categories are identified and clinical examples are presented to compare and contrast severely and mildly retarded in each category. The five levels of adaptive behavior are then discussed and the relationship to training and productive work is explored. Level 1, borderline cases; level 2, mildly retarded; level 3, moderately retarded; level 4, severely retarded; and level 5, profoundly retarded. Conditions for work in levels 1, 2, and 3 are then described in detail. The role of the vocational counsellor in determining the capability of the retardate for employment is described.

Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections:  http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/7601834A

Learn more about the National Library of Medicine's historical audiovisuals program at: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/collectio...

• #science_technology
• #national_library_of_medicine
• #hav
• #video
• #digitized_film
• #documentation
• #historical_audiovisuals
• #moving_images
• #history_of_medicine_division
• #mental_retardation
• #rehabilitation_counselling
• #retardation
• #adaptive_behavior
• #vocational_counseling
• #vocational_rehabilitation