Why Mental Retardation Should Be Called By Its Old Name

Dictionary’s synonyms for retarded: backward, disabled, handicapped.

We look at it today as developmentally delayed, where the person isn’t backward, just is at a regressed stage developmentally.

To retard means to slow but it eventually became a negative term. They switch the word every time people use it as an insult. Happened with dumb, mental…

The terms “dumb” and “stupid” or “feeble minded” are inexact and have become quite insulting. It also is a very complex subject since few individuals are consistently deficient, e.g., someone who has trouble with understanding to read or knowing how to act in common social situations, may turn out to be quite advanced in other areas such as music or math. Referring to “mental disabilities” is deliberately inexact since the situations are inexact.

“Development disabilities” refers to any sort of mental or physical problem that dates back to birth or before, or shortly thereafter as opposed to something that developed later in life such as disabilities relating to disease or injury.

rebyidd23- so we should go back to calling them idiots? Somehow that doesn’t sound right.

rebyidd23- and when you’re telling your daughter why Chany can’t count even though she’s 15 years old, you say it’s because she’s an idiot, or you explain that she was born with a condition?