What "Mental Retardation" Means  Problems Learning and
Functioning  There's a kid at school who seems different. You've
heard people say he's "retarded," but you've also heard people
use that word to make fun of each other.  Mental retardation
(say: ree-tar-day-shun) is a term that was once commonly used to
describe someone who learns and develops more slowly than other
kids. But it's not used as much anymore because it hurts
people's feelings.  Instead, you might hear terms like
"intellectual disability" or "developmental delay." But all
these words mean basically the same thing. Someone who has this
kind of problem will have trouble learning and functioning in
everyday life. This person could be 10 years old, but might not
talk or write as well as a typical 10-year-old. He or she also
is usually slower to learn other skills, like how to get dressed
or how to act around other people.   Just like other health
problems, an intellectual disability can be mild (smaller) or
major (bigger). The bigger the disabili