How to Diagnose Mental Handicap in Children

Early diagnosis of a mental handicap in children is the most important component of ensuring that an effective course of treatment is pursued. The more proactive the intervention in a child's life, the more likely it is that at least some of the problems and issues associated with a developmental disability are dealt with in a meaningful manner. A variety of signs and symptoms are used to diagnose mental handicap in children.

Things You'll Need

• Written medical diagnosis of child's mental health status

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Instructions

• 1

  Track mobility milestones associated with your child. A child with some sort of mental handicap or disability likely will be delayed in sitting up, crawling and walking. A healthy baby normally progresses through these stages and is able to walk between ages 10 and 15 months.

• 2

  Monitor a child's efforts at verbalization. A child begins making one-word statements between 11 and 14 months. A delay in verbalization may be a sign that a child has some sort or mental handicap or developmental disability.

• 3

  Follow a child's ability to engage in minimal self-care. These are known as adaptive, self-help skills. One of the major self-care skills is learning to feed oneself. A child should be able to begin feeding himself or herself at about age 12 months.

• 4

  Seek a medical evaluation if your child displays an array of the signs and symptoms associated with mental handicap. Consider scheduling an initial appointment with a specialist who deals with mental handicaps and developmental disabilities afflicting children.