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Mentally retarded children have an I.Q. ranging anywhere between 0 & 70 as against the I.Q. of a normal individual ranging between 90 & 120. On one hand, they develop physically, on the other, remain mentally deficient causing an upset in the harmony between body & mind. A mentally retarded child of 20 years may have a body of an adult but mental capacity may be less than that of a child of 4 - 5 years.
 
There are many causes of mental retardation due to which the children face untold problems. Their progress is very slow as they are just unable to concentrate. Their memory is also very weak & they can be distracted very easily. Due to this defect, the mentally retarded children have a lot of behavioural problems. Ironically, parents' refusal to accept retardation of their children adds to the problem.
 
The mentally retarded may be broadly grouped in five categories depending upon their level of I.Q.
 
Border Line (I.Q. 70 to 85) : These children do not usually require special schooling. They can learn slowly in a normal school.
Mild (I.Q. 50 to 69) : These children can be educated in all the subjects barring subjects like Mathematics, Science, Grammer etc. upto 4th or 5th standard. With conscientious efforts they can be initiated into some vocation that they can sustain & earn their livelihood.
Modarate (I.Q. 35 to 49) :These children can be trained only upto being independent in day-to-day activities. They can do unskilled jobs under somebody's direct supervision / guidance.
Severe (I.Q. 20 to 34) : these children can achieve very little independence even in day-to-day activities. The only objective for training in their case is to make them self dependent in their mundane requirements.
Profound (I.Q. 0 to 19) : These children are completely dependent on others. They are unable to do anything for themselves. We can hardly expect any development in them in achieving even the slightest degree of independence.
 
The education & training of these children differs a lot from that of normal children. Since there is no safe method to teach these children, each child is a class by himself requiring special attention.