Or at least it soon will be. Not the diagnosis, mind you, but the term "mental retardation." The politically-correct term will now be "intellectual disability." Change your pleadings accordingly, I suppose.

What is of real interest, however, is the new definition of mental retard--oops, there I go! make that--intellectual disability being proposed by the APA in the next edition of the DSM-5. Specifically, a decreased focus upon IQ testing. How that will affect Atkins claims remains to be seen. For more information, read on:

http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevisions/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=384

I still need to digest this a bit more, and maybe I'm misunderstanding something, but here's my gut reaction:

quote:

---

This should be measured with an individualized, standardized, culturally appropriate, psychometrically sound measure.

---

How can something be both "individualized" and "standardized?" What does "culturally appropriate" mean?

How will it impact Atkins claims? Well, I think the net may be getting a bit wider, but you're right - it remains to be seen how it plays out.

Looks like the standard is just becoming much more subjective. It will be easier to diagnose MR under this standard, but also easier to attack such a diagnosis. In regard to Atkins, it appears that this standard will make these claims even more of a "battle of the experts" than they already are.

Call me intellectually disabled (I think that fits), but why can't people leave the names of stuff (prisons, diseases, streets, countries) the same!

I still have not got over "community supervision" for "probation." As if the general population cared or needed to care. Since when did we need two words when one sufficed? It really irks me, but I suppose I am intellectually bamboozled too.

Does anyone remember the Tim Kazurinsky sketch from SNL where he played the medical correspondent Dr. Jack Badofsky on Weekend Update? Used to stay things like if you get warts in strange places its called herpes, but if you get it from a convenience store worker its called slurpees.

It seems like it would be difficult to prove someone was in the "lower 3%" of his "cultural group." How do we get the data on the other 97%? "Intellectual disability" is such a squishy term. I know several people who are intellectually disabled, but you would not consider to be mentally retarded. I agree that it is an effort to cast a wider net of people who will attempt to avoid responsibility for their crimes.

On the other hand, Jane, you get to do an update on your book.

Texas Department of Corrections = Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Institution Division of TDCJ = Correctional Institutions Division

Secretary = Administrative Assistant


You're right, they always add an extra word!