ABSTRACT
An individual's level of cognitive functioning normally is determined via the administration of an intelligence test that will usually yield a consequent intelligence quotient (IQ). If the person attains an IQ that is more than two standard deviations, mean, or an IQ of less than 70, then a finding of mental retardation is warranted. The educational objectives for the trainable child should be to assist the child to become as self-sufficient as possible. These children generally have a prognosis for some degree of economic self-sufficiency and acceptable social adjustment. The causes of mental retardation, broadly considered, are primarily twofold: genetic-organic and cultural-familial. The cultural-familial origins of mental retardation, which account for the remaining approximately eighty percent of retardation, are generally unspecified and vague, but are thought to be the result of lack of enrichment, nurturing, and stimulation often found in children of families in the lower socio-economic bracket.
