Causes

While parents often ask if there was anything they did to cause their child's mental retardation, many times the cause is genetic - the baby was born with mental retardation, and short of having a different mother or father, there is nothing that could have been done. Down syndrome is the most well-known genetic disorder.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) - is caused by exposure to alcohol during pregnancy, which makes this a preventable form of retardation.

Birth complications - where the child experienced anoxia (no oxygen) or hypoxia (not enough oxygen) during birth may result in mental retardation as well as other types of disability.

Brain injury - can occur as a result of illnesses either during pregnancy or childhood, such as meningitis, encephalitis or rubella whic may result in mental retardation.

There are different levels of severity in retardation; some people are able to have more independence than others. Mental retardation cannot be cured; however, in a nurturing, patient environment, children and adults can often learn important skills such as toileting, reading, and speaking.