J Korean Med Sci.  1999 Apr;14(2):128-132. 10.3346/jkms.1999.14.2.128.

Clinical characteristics of children with mental retardation of unknown etiology in Korea

• Yim SY
• Lee IY

• KMID: 648069
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.1999.14.2.128

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of children with mental retardation (MR) of unknown etiology for early recognition and intervention. In this study, we defined children with MR of unknown etiology as those without clear etiologies for MR despite extensive evaluation and were not associated with pathological behavioral problems such as pervasive developmental disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The clinical characteristics of children with MR of unknown etiology were as follows. 1) MR of unknown etiology was 48.8% of all MR. 2) MR of unknown etiology was more common in males. 3) Delayed language development was a leading factor that made the parents of children with MR of unknown etiology seek help from physicians. However, most of the children with MR of unknown etiology showed a relatively uniform delay in several areas of development. 4) Most children with MR of unknown etiology were delayed walkers. 5) Most children with MR of unknown etiology were mild cases.

Keyword

Mental retardation

MeSH Terms

Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Human
Korea
Language Development Disorders
Male
Mental Retardation/psychology
Mental Retardation/physiopathology*
Mental Retardation/etiology
Retrospective Studies