Question
What are the typical symptoms of mental retardation in children?
Answer
Children with mental retardation often exhibit longer sleep times and appear very quiet throughout the day, with less crying. They generally master various motor skills (such as sitting, standing, walking, and speaking) later than typically developing children of the same age. The crying sound of mentally retarded children may be shrill or weak, with a lack of tone variation. Their response time to external stimuli that cause crying is longer, and they may require multiple stimuli to elicit crying. Additionally, these children show little interest in toys and do not play even when holding them. Their behavioral patterns may change from excessive sleeping and minimal movement during infancy to constant activity, but these activities often lack clear purposefulness.