What is meant by mental retardation?

A historical overview of efforts to devise a satisfactory definition of mental retardation is provided. Central to these efforts has been a concern that Ie score, by itself does not provide an adequate basis for establishing the disorder's upper boundary or for capturing its natural prototype. A definition is proposed-preferably coupled with a switch to a less pejorative term, such as 'intellectual disability' - which emphasizes: (a) deficits in serial, practical and academic intelligence; (b) decreased diagnostic reliance on standardized test scores and greater reliance on clinical and consensual judgment; (c) assumption of an underlying biological etiology; (d) ongoing need for supports and protections; (e) recognition that vulnerability to potential exploitation and manipulation is a universal feature of the disorder.