"Mental Retardation is a condition of mind in which the intellectual capabilities of the child becomes impaired, either completely or mildly, the child remains behind in his normal intellectual under-standing and social functioning. This condition could be present at birth or the child may manifest the symptoms at later stages of his life. (0-18 yrs)"

In simple terms, mental retardation is incomplete mental development. Those who are mentally retarded are limited in various degrees, in their abilities to learn and in their capacity to put that learning to use. A side from this, people with mental retardation are just like everyone else; they think, they feel, and they have hopes and dreams.