Mental retardation is a cognitive impairment that can range from mild to profound. Diagnosis is often achieved through IQ tests, and activities can focus on physical fitness, learning, and development of professional skills. Mentally retarded individuals often experience learning disabilities, so learning-based activities are prevalent. Occupational therapy activities can build important life skills, and exercise is important for overall health.
Mental retardation is generally defined as an impairment in an individual’s cognitive or thought-based functioning and resulting behaviors. The damage can range from mild to profound, which is the most severe cognitive impairment. In many regions, the diagnosis of mental retardation is achieved through the use of intelligence quotient (IQ) tests or similar measurements, and many activities are geared towards helping improve the lives of diagnosed individuals. Mental retardation activities can be broken down by the specific focal areas they address: physical fitness, learning and development of professional skills. Consequently, particular mental retardation activities may include the following: aerobic and weight-bearing exercises, memory and problem-solving exercises, and skill-building activities.
Due to cognitive impairments, mentally retarded individuals often experience learning disabilities, so learning-based mental retardation activities are therefore prevalent. In the classroom, tasks that enhance memory and help develop problem-solving skills are invaluable for mentally retarded students, for example. More specific activities can teach concepts that the individual can apply to everyday life, such as working with money and watches to better understand finances and the weather. Activities designed to reinforce reading or other skill-based activities often focus on breaking the activity down into smaller, easier-to-understand components. Also, kindly encouraging responses and correct behavior through verbal prompts, routine routine lists, or reward systems is another common component of learning-based mental retardation activities.
The adaptive behavior that results from cognitive choices can suffer greatly in individuals with mental retardation. Therefore, occupational therapy mental retardation activities that build important life skills are of additional benefit. Cognitively impaired individuals may be retarded in the complex reasoning skills that are often required to make important decisions and establish independence. Depending on the degree of delay, the ability to carry out daily activities and interact with others in a socially acceptable way may also be impaired. Thus, professional activities can range from teaching people how to cook and bathe to helping people function better in a work environment through simulating and acting out real-world scenarios.
Because mentally retarded individuals tend to have a higher number of health problems than the average population, exercise is an important but sometimes overlooked component of mentally retarded activities. Respiratory and heart problems are two of the most important types of potential health ailments, so low-impact aerobic activity that gets your heart rate up can be especially helpful. Examples include jogging, cycling, or even brisk walking. A sensible weight-lifting program can further help people with mental retardation improve bone and muscle strength, as weakness in these areas is also quite common. Any type of exercise should be precluded and followed by stretching to prevent injury, and any exercise program should be discussed with a physician, especially for those who may have adverse health problems.
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