Mental Retardation In America

Download or read book Mental Retardation in America written by Steven Noll and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2004-02 with total page 524 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The expressions "idiot, you idiot, you're an idiot, don't be an idiot," and the like are generally interpreted as momentary insults. But, they are also expressions that represent an old, if unstable, history. Beginning with an examination of the early nineteenth century labeling of mental retardation as "idiocy," to what we call developmental, intellectual, or learning disabilities, Mental Retardation in America chronicles the history of mental retardation, its treatment and labeling, and its representations and ramifications within the changing economic, social, and political context of America. Mental Retardation in America includes essays with a wide range of authors who approach the problems of retardation from many differing points of view. This work is divided into five sections, each following in chronological order the major changes in the treatment of people classified as retarded. Exploring historical issues, as well as current public policy concerns, Mental Retardation in America covers topics ranging from representations of the mentally disabled as social burdens and social menaces; Freudian inspired ideas of adjustment and adaptation; the relationship between community care and institutional treatment; historical events, such as the Buck v. Bell decision, which upheld the opinion on eugenic sterilization; the evolution of the disability rights movement; and the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.

Download or read book Mental Retardation written by Robert B. Edgerton and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1979 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains the causes of retardation, the prevention of retardation through such means as genetic counseling and prenatal care, and the methods of helping retarded children on the familial, social, and educational levels.

Download or read book Understanding Mental Retardation written by Patricia Ainsworth (M.D.) and published by Univ. Press of Mississippi. This book was released on 2004 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: CONSUMER HEALTH . What measures can parents and advocates take to insure that people who have mental retardation live full, rewarding lives from infancy to old age?. Understanding Mental Retardation explores a diverse group of disorders from their biological roots to the everyday challenges faced by this special population and their families. With parents and those who care for people who have mental retardation in mind, Patricia Ainsworth and Pamela C. Baker write in a style that is at once accessible, informative, and sympathetic to the concerns of those affected. The authors provide practical information that will assist families and other advocates in obtaining needed services. They discuss assessment and treatment, education and employment, social and sexual adjustment, as well as regulatory and legal issues. This book covers the causes of mental retardation, the signs and symptoms of the most common forms of these disorders, and issues of prevention. For the sake of comparison, the book describes basic concepts of normal human development and references the history of Western civilization's responses to those with mental retardation. Understanding Mental Retardation sheds new light on mental illnesses that can complicate the lives of those with mental retardation, and the way symptoms of mental illness may appear confused or masked in a patient with mental retardation. Along with information on treatments and diagnoses, the book offers contact information for governmental resources, as well as a brief summary of the legal issues pertaining to mental retardation in America. Patricia Ainsworth is an assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and has a private practice in Ridgeland, Mississippi. She is the author of Understanding Depression (University Press of Mississippi). Pamela C. Baker is director of the South Mississippi Regional Center in Long Beach, Mississippi. She is also an independent consultant in management and disabilities administration and co-editor of Embarking on a New Century: Mental Retardation at the End of the 20th Century .

Download or read book Inventing the Feeble Mind written by James Trent and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016-11-01 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pity, disgust, fear, cure, and prevention--all are words that Americans have used to make sense of what today we call intellectual disability. Inventing the Feeble Mind explores the history of this disability from its several identifications over the past 200 years: idiocy, imbecility, feeblemindedness, mental defect, mental deficiency, mental retardation, and most recently intellectual disability. Using institutional records, private correspondence, personal memories, and rare photographs, James Trent argues that the economic vulnerability of intellectually disabled people (and often their families), more than the claims made for their intellectual and social limitations, has shaped meaning, services, and policies in United States history.

Download or read book Mental Disorders and Disabilities Among Low-Income Children written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2015-10-28 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Children living in poverty are more likely to have mental health problems, and their conditions are more likely to be severe. Of the approximately 1.3 million children who were recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits in 2013, about 50% were disabled primarily due to a mental disorder. An increase in the number of children who are recipients of SSI benefits due to mental disorders has been observed through several decades of the program beginning in 1985 and continuing through 2010. Nevertheless, less than 1% of children in the United States are recipients of SSI disability benefits for a mental disorder. At the request of the Social Security Administration, Mental Disorders and Disability Among Low-Income Children compares national trends in the number of children with mental disorders with the trends in the number of children receiving benefits from the SSI program, and describes the possible factors that may contribute to any differences between the two groups. This report provides an overview of the current status of the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, and the levels of impairment in the U.S. population under age 18. The report focuses on 6 mental disorders, chosen due to their prevalence and the severity of disability attributed to those disorders within the SSI disability program: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, learning disabilities, and mood disorders. While this report is not a comprehensive discussion of these disorders, Mental Disorders and Disability Among Low-Income Children provides the best currently available information regarding demographics, diagnosis, treatment, and expectations for the disorder time course - both the natural course and under treatment.

Download or read book Mental Retardation written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2002-08-09 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Current estimates suggest that between one and three percent of people living in the United States will receive a diagnosis of mental retardation. Mental retardation, a condition characterized by deficits in intellectual capabilities and adaptive behavior, can be particularly hard to diagnose in the mild range of the disability. The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) provides income support and medical benefits to individuals with cognitive limitations who experience significant problems in their ability to perform work and may therefore be in need of governmental support. Addressing the concern that SSA's current procedures are consistent with current scientific and professional practices, this book evaluates the process used by SSA to determine eligibility for these benefits. It examines the adequacy of the SSA definition of mental retardation and its current procedures for assessing intellectual capabilities, discusses adaptive behavior and its assessment, advises on ways to combine intellectual and adaptive assessment to provide a complete profile of an individual's capabilities, and clarifies ways to differentiate mental retardation from other conditions.

Download or read book The Legal Rights of Citizens with Mental Retardation written by Lawrence A. Kane and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the formal presentation of the issues discussed at the Second National Conference on the Legal Rights of Citizens with Mental Retardation. A relationship between the community and its citizens with mental retardation is discussed extensively in the first section of the book. Other sections of the book are devoted to key litigation and legislation for the rights of citizens with mental retardation, law as it pertains to newborns with severe handicaps, advances in education and rehabilitation, and future strategies for advocacy. A few of the noted contributors include Carl R. Halpern, Dean of the CUNY Law School, Professor Robert A. Burt of Yale University, and Professor Robert H. Mnookin of Stanford University. This book is designed as a basic reference for advocates and others concerned with the mentally retarded.