July 26th, 2009 | 
Author: Inside a special needs magazine there is a separate category and section for autism vs. mental retardation. What are the differences between these disorders? I had thought they were the same thing.
It is quite wrong to say that the vast majority of people with autism are also mentally retarded when quite the opposite is true. It is people who are incredibly intelligent who are more susceptible to being affected by autism because they are more sensitive to toxins in the environment, which triggers autism. Autism is like a barrier, a wall making it difficult for people with autism to express themselves. When people can’t express themselves properly it is very frustrating for them and children who are affected often tantrum. My daughter has high functioning autism and gets straight A’s in school. She won’t look you in the eye though or have a long conversation with you because autism is in her way. I can assure you there is no mental retardation there. She is brilliant…knew all her states and capitals before she was 2 and could read at age 3 and this is just for starters.
Posted in autism
Autism is a brain development disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior.
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder, characterized by subaverage cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors with onset before the age of 18. Once focused almost entirely on cognition, the definition now includes both a component relating to mental functioning and one relating to individuals’ functional skills in their environment.
References :
Wikipedia
Their The Same Thing
now you answer this question
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Alsughwsmmrq6VaH3H4d0VsjzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20090626022854AAsKEuA
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Autistic children are usually incredibly intelligent…mental retardation is having an IQ lower than 70. Autistic children are incapable of expressing themselves and interacting properly. Mentally retarded children usually have no problem expressing themselves…they just suffer from a lack of intelligence or brain damage.
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there’s a big difference. autistic children are not "slow" they are intelligent, many of them, they just CANNOT communicate well and have episodes. That does not make them unintelligent, which is the case when someone is mentally retarded.They have a learning disorder where they can’t learn: autistic people cannot communicate or deal with stress well. Don’t hate. Get informed.
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Wow, such ignorance.
To put it simply, autistic kids have problems with social interaction (they are FAR more intelligent than you are, though), and retarded kids have problems with almost everything.
References :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_retardation
Get a clue, please.
Nope, they’re not the same. For example, people with Down Syndrome usually are mentally retarded but not autistic.
The vast majority of autistic people are mentally retarded as well, and mentally retarded people are more likely to be autistic than people with average intelligence, but most mentally retarded people are not autistic.
Because of movies like Rain Man, people often believe that most autistic people are really smart, or have exceptional skills. Some do, but the vast majority don’t.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/overview_diagnostic_criteria.htm
http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=10346&cn=208
For fun, take these 4 tests… after taking them you’ll see the average scores for men, women, and people with Asperger’s Syndrome, a type of autism not accompanied by mental retardation:
http://www.glennrowe.net/BaronCohen/MaleFemale.asp
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I’ve got Asperger’s Syndrome. I’m not mentally retarded, just socially, and I do have repetitive behaviors etc. I’ve got an IQ of about 145 (according to the official Mensa test), and my memory is well above average (though far from photographic, lol).
It is quite wrong to say that the vast majority of people with autism are also mentally retarded when quite the opposite is true. It is people who are incredibly intelligent who are more susceptible to being affected by autism because they are more sensitive to toxins in the environment, which triggers autism. Autism is like a barrier, a wall making it difficult for people with autism to express themselves. When people can’t express themselves properly it is very frustrating for them and children who are affected often tantrum. My daughter has high functioning autism and gets straight A’s in school. She won’t look you in the eye though or have a long conversation with you because autism is in her way. I can assure you there is no mental retardation there. She is brilliant…knew all her states and capitals before she was 2 and could read at age 3 and this is just for starters.
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First. Mental retardation is no longer used as a diagnosis.
Today there a several developmental delay diagnosis used
for the same category.
Whatever the diagnosis there is a big difference between the two
groups.
If you put a person with autism and a person with "mental retardation"
in the same room you would see the difference.
Each group has its own challenges. Both have significant
delays and may have delays in multiple categories.
Whatever the differences are anyone with mental challenges deserves
to be treated with respect and dignity.
So read as much as you can about the subjects and get involved with the community. You will a better person because of the experience.
References :
I work with the community.