Successful Ministry to the Retarded[ETowns] - Elmer Towns

"Mental deficiency is a state of incomplete mental development of such a kind and degree thatthe individual is incapable of adapting himself to the normal environment of his fellows in such away as to maintain existence independently of supervision, control or external support." 6Another factor in the complexity of establishing an adequate inclusive definition is the widerange of causes, complicating the very nature of the problem.Mental deficiency is a state of social incompetence obtaining at maturity, or likely toobtain at maturity, resulting from developed mental arrest of constitutional origin; thecondition is essentially incurable through treatment and unremediable through training exceptas treatment and training instill habits which superficially or temporarily compensate for thelimitations of the person so affected while under favorable circumstances and for more or lesslimited periods of time. 7In Russia, mental retardation is defined not only in terms of characteristics but also of cause. 8Still another factor impeding the development of an acceptable definition is that there is noknown technique for directly assessing intelligence or intellectual potential. 9 This factor causes theindividual's capacity to be inferred on the basis of his performance m such tests as the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Definitions begin toincorporate the IQ or MA.In 1910, Goddard considered a child feebleminded if he were more than two years backwardon an intelligence test. 10 Doll extended Goddard's concept by indicating that "feeblemindedness isdefined psychologically as intellectual retardation of two years at an age below nine or three yearsat an age above nine." 11There has been a great deal of controversy concerning the upper limits of mental deficiencyand the IQ was set variously at points from 60 12 to 65 13 and 70 14 , up to 80 or 85. 15 Variability ofIQ limits from country to country, for special education ranges as follows:Argentina, Australia, Peru-50-80German Federal Republic - 65-85Switzerland - 70-90Norway - 50-70. 16Generally, the higher the cultural emphasis on academic excellence in the regular grades, thehigher the IQ limits for special education.Research in the area of mental retardation has shown that IQ scores are not accurate aspredictions of achievement. There is no definite line of demarcation between educable andtrainable mentally retarded children. Similarly, even the expert would have difficulty in makingfine-line distinctions. These borderline groups, between the trainable and educable, or betweencustodial and semi-dependent, must be answered by criteria other than IQ scores. These criteriaoften include descriptions of the physical, social, and intellectual capacities of the childrenconcerned. Today there are numerous authorities in the field of mental retardation who desire toabandon completely the use of standardized intelligence tests, for they believe that such tests aretoo influenced by cultural factors."Mental retardation, according to the American Association on Mental Deficiency, 12 is agroup of conditions which result from below average intellectual function." 17 Heber, in his manualfor the AAMD, arrived at the following definition: "Mental retardation refers to (1) subaverage12 Hereinafter, reference will be made to this association by the letters AAMD.