Intelligence Testing and its Implications for Disability Evaluation in Individuals with Mental Retardation

Disability evaluation in mental retardation, which is done through assessment of intelligence, has certain inherent problems. The situation gets more complex if the person has additional disabilities, which is very likely in mental retardation. As an initiative, this study aims to study problems faced in intelligence testing in persons with mental retardation. The study included 88 randomly selected files of the individuals with mental retardation registered at the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (NIMH) Regional Centre, Kolkata during 2007-08. Each file was reviewed for information on diagnosis mental retardation, associated conditions and the intelligence testing reports. The results indicated that specific factors including both the characteristics of mental retardation and the nature of the tests available were interfering with intelligence testing. The problems are discussed in the context of current constructs related to mental retardation, diagnostic systems and legislation.