Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 32 - Rehabilitation And Disabilities › Part 22 - Office of Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind, Resource Guide › Section 32-22-3.16 - PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES › Section 32-22-3.16.3 - Classification & Coding Of Mental Retardation

Current through June 25, 2024
The American Association on Mental Deficiency developed the definition of mental retardation used by RSA in 1961. This reads as follows:
Mental retardation refers to sub-average intellectual functioning which originates during the development period and is associated with impairment in adaptive behavior. This may be reflected in:
A.
Maturation
: rate
				of sequential development of self-help skills of infancy and early
				childhood
B.
Learning
: the facility with which knowledge is
				acquired as a function of experience
C.
Social
				Adjustment
: the degree to which the individual is able to maintain
				himself or herself independently in the community and in gainful employment as
				well as by his or her ability to meet and conform to other personal and social
				responsibilities and standards set by the community.
As so defined, sub-average general intellectual functioning
				  refers to performance on an individual test of intelligence which is more than
				  one standard deviation below the mean or an IQ Score of 84 on the Wechsler and
				  83 on the Stanford-Binet. (The standard deviation on the Wechsler is 15 while
				  the Stanford-Binet is 16). It is, however, important to note that a measured
				  intelligence quotient in and of itself is insufficient diagnostic evidence of
				  the existence of mental retardation and that the presence of maladaptive
				  behavior associated with subnormal intellectual functioning must also be
				  established. It is this factor of maladaptive behavior which is particularly
				  important in determining whether an individual who achieves an IQ in the
				  70-8 range may or may not be classified as
				  mentally retarded since many people in this borderline area may neither
				  experience any particular problems or adjustment nor demonstrate any evidence
				  of maladaptive behavior.
It is the behavioral component of mental retardation rather
				  than the measured intelligence quotient which is meaningful in determining the
				  individual's need for vocational rehabilitation services as well as his or her
				  ultimate employment potential on the completion of such services. At the same
				  time, it must be realized that the IQ can be of great importance to the
				  counselor, especially in evaluating the client's readiness for academic
				  training. The IQ should be obtained on the basis of an appropriate individual
				  intelligence test administered by a qualified psychologist or psychometrist in
				  all cases where the existence of mental retardation is suspected.
As an indicator of severity of retardation, impairment in
				  adaptive behavior is used as the basic criterion for classifying mental
				  retardates into three (3) levels of functioning: Mild, Moderate, and Severe.
				  Those sometimes termed profoundly retarded are generally found in institutions
				  where they must receive continuing care and supervision, are incapable of
				  gainful employment and, thus, not suitable candidates for vocational
				  rehabilitation.
For coding purposes, the three levels may be described as
				  follows:
Mild: Persons who, with the provision of appropriate
				  rehabilitation services, can become capable of independent living in the
				  community and engage in competitive employment. Generally, they will require
				  supervision and guidance only under conditions of particular social and
				  economic stress.
Code as 530
Moderate: Persons capable of maintaining themselves in the
				  community and performing adequately in low-demand competitive employment, but
				  who will require continuing supervision and assistance in the management of
				  personal affairs.
Code as 532
Severe: Persons capable of productive work but only under
				  sheltered, non-competitive conditions in a protective environment.
Code as 534
There are problems inherent in the practical application of
				  any classification system based on adaptive behavior. There are no objective
				  scales that will determine with reasonable objectivity the functioning level of
				  adaptive behavior to which a person should be assigned. It will be necessary
				  for the counselor, with assistance from the psychologist, to use judgment to
				  properly classify MR clients. The following sources of information may be
				  considered to help make such decisions: personal client observations, review of
				  all available case history, results of medical/psychosocial/vocational
				  evaluation, reports from schools, and other sources who have provided services
				  to the individuals.