Study of Molecular Markers in Patients of Mental Retardation

Mental retardation is neither a disease nor a specific disorder in itself, but a symptom associated with a number of disorders. When mental retardation is accompanied by other symptoms which all point to a specific condition, the disorder is called as syndrome (Richard Koch and K.J Koch, 1974). Some of the worth mentioning sources available in literature on the subject of mental retardation include " The biology of mental defect" by Penrose, 1969, "Mental retardation, nature, cause and management", by Baroff, 1974. 'mental retardation the changing outlook' by Ingalls ,1974. Itard, 1798 was the first to give a clear account of the psychology of a mental defective person. He was also responsible to initiative efforts by others to educate the weak minded so as to make use of their minimal mental resources. The first serious attempt to classify the retarded into 12 subdivisions according to etiology was a book of Williom Ireland 'On Idiocy and Imbecility ' appeared in 1877. The first half of twentieth century (1900 - 1950) signified the development of intelligence test, special classes in public school and a stimulated and avid interest on the part of parents of the retarded, which was initiated by Alfred Binet.