tiques have emphasized the vagueness of the AAMR's concept of adaptive behavior, while recognizing that the idea of incorporating some concept of social competence is important in any new, useful definition (Greenspan and Granfield, 1992).
At present, the mentally retarded population is most closely associated with children having Down's Syndrome. This Syndrome is characterized by a missing chromosome on one of the genes in the human genome. Children with this
condition have a specific facial look, characterized by a flatter, wider face. They may be profoundly, mildly, or moderately retarded in their development. At one end of the continuum, children may barely be able to learn how to use the toilet by themselves, or brush their teeth. At the other end of the continuum, children may learn many skills and be able to function in the community as adults, with some support.
Mental retardation may also result from other conditions, such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or phenylketonuria. In the latter instance, there is hope for children affected by this problem, when it is discovered in time. It is a disease condition, rather than a genetic mutation, although it is driven by genetics. Untreated PKU leads to irreversible mental retardation (Centerwall and
Obviously, this also creates the need for a continuum of services to children and adults in this population. While they have the same needs for dental care as other children, children who are mentally retarded may not have the same ability to learn to care for their own oral health, and may not be able to respond to the dent
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