What is the difference between autistic & retarded? I am serious. Please no off the cuff remarks?

My not expert answer: People who are retarded have limited IQs and we can’t make them smarter. We can help them have pleasant and useful lives where possible, but they really have no hope of being ‘fixed.’

Autism is a whole other thing. Causes are still being debated, but being autistic does not mean they are not smart. Some autistics are very smart, but they have difficulty communicating with the rest of the world (which can be very frustrating for them, and us). There are some treatments and things doctors can do, especially if it’s caught at an early age. Google ‘famous autistic people’.

A person that is autisic is born with it or is diagnoised early to be slower bcuz of brain damage or defects in the brain……and the definition of retarded is jst sum1 who learns slower tanh every1 so even you and me can be concidered retarded for example im not good at math so therefore im retarded in math :) hope i help’dCha

Not exactly. Its actually quite an interesting topic. You may enjoy reading about autism, and it might help you understand the differences a little better.

well ive learned from experience my older brother is autistic…..

well ive learned from experience my older brother is autistic…..

well ive learned from experience my older brother is autistic…..

sorry sennt it to many times hahahaha

My older brother is autistic as well. He went to National Children’s Center until he was 21. I spent much of my time frequenting his classroom and getting to know his classmates and teachers. His “disability” is actually part of the reason I majored in psychology for a while in college. After my third year however, I realized psychology was not for me…..especially that darn APA paper format!! lol

The above posts are pretty much the umbrella explanations. If you’d like to learn more about it in detail you should probably read up about it. I know that Pubmed Central has quite a few free journal articles about autism…Its worth a look! Good luck with your bro!!

reall y i want to major in that when i go to college whats APA paper format????? and thanks hes doing better….he lost his speech for a while they dont know why yet…..his brain functions were normal…..any ideas

Cool! I wish you luck in your studies. APA is nothing to be afraid of…..its just a style that papers and citations must be written in….Its more of a minor annoyance than anything. You’ll get used to it though. I’m glad your brother is doing well. I wish I could help you out…I am in no way a doctor. The brain is such a complex organ that many times doctors can’t always be sure what causes problems. Do you mean he just stopped speaking one day? Did he seem to try to communicate in other ways?

retarded is the inability to process information because the region of the brain that controls intelligence are not formed properly. autistic is the inability to communicate information. i do not mean that autistic kids cannot talk, what i mean is that autistic kids understand the statement being said to them but the region of the brain that is responsible for commenting on the statement or understanding how to comment the statement is malformed.

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This is exactly the answer I was looking for…thanks. Now it all makes sense.

An individual with mental retardation lacks logic and curiosity, is incapable of understanding the consequences of their actions, displays childish behavior below their age level, has developmental and social slowness with an IQ below 70. A great deal of mental retardation is a symptom of Down Syndrome. These individuals have both psychical and mental impediments as a result of an extra 21st chromosome and in addition to mental deficiencies such as retardation, can be born with problems such as heart disease, dementia, and hearing problems. Sources: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/downsyndrome.html http://children.webmd.com/guide/understanding-down-syndrome-basics http://www.healthline.com/health/mental-retardation

An individual with autism can be quite intelligent even at an advanced degree but are unable to express it and are deficient in social interaction and communication. They can fail to respond to their names, appears to not hear you or only acknowledge you by repeating your words back to you. These and other verbal abilities can be inconsistent, those displayed at one time can be lost to them another. They won’t seem to understand simple questions or requests and often engage in unusual bodily movements such as rocking back and forth, some that are even potentially self harming such as head banging. Their brains can only process one thing at a time and as a result they can at times respond to being touched as though by a leper. Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/autism/DS00348/DSECTION=symptoms