Family & Community Special Communities
Special Education

Intellectual Impairment

The permanent capacity for performing cognitive tasks, functions, or problem solving is significantly limited or impaired and is exhibited by more than one of the following: a slower rate of learning; disorganized patterns of learning; difficulty with adaptive behavior; and/or difficulty understanding abstract concepts. Such term shall include students with mental retardation.

The ARC
The Arc of the United States advocates for the rights and full participation of all children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

CDC - Mental Retardation
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the 13 major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is the principal agency in the United States government for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services. This site presents information and resources on mental retardation.

Department of Mental Retardation (DMR) - Massachusetts
DMR provides assistance in job placement, transportation, housing, or intense levels of treatment, monitoring and care. DMR provides these services through state-operated programs and with 265 provider agencies across the state.

Division on Developmental Disabilities (DDD)
A Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, the Division on Developmental Disabilities' mission includes enhancing the competence of persons who work with individuals with cognitive disabilities/mental retardation, autism, and related disabilities and advocating on behalf of individuals with developmental disabilities.

Mental Retardation Developmental Disabilities Research Center (MRDDRC) MRRDDRC at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) conducts an extensive program of research on the causes, treatment, and prevention of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

Mental Retardation - KidsHealth
KidsHealth is the largest and most visited site on the Web providing doctor-approved health information about children from before birth through adolescence. KidsHealth has separate areas for kids, teens, and parents - each with its own design, age-appropriate content, and tone. There are literally thousands of in-depth features, articles, animations, games, and resources - all original and all developed by experts in the health of children and teens.

Mental Retardation -- National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities serves the nation as a central source of information on: disabilities in infants, toddlers, children, and youth, IDEA, which is the law authorizing special education, No Child Left Behind (as it relates to children with disabilities), and research-based information on effective educational practices.

The President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities
The Committee acts in an advisory capacity to the President and the Secretary of The Department of Health and Human Services on matters relating to programs and services for persons with intellectual disabilities.