| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 3,901,031,561 visitors served. |
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
Idiocy |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Wikipedia | 0.01 sec. |
|
|
idiocy [′id·ē·ə·sē]
(psychology) The lowest grade of mental deficiency; the individual's mental age is less than 3 years. Idiocy a severe degree of mental retardation—oligophrenia. Speech is usually undeveloped and inarticulate, the movements are awkward and poorly differentiated. Desires are elementary and remain unchecked. In some cases idiocy is characterized by motor and general disinhibition; in others the patients are sluggish and inactive. Reaction to the surroundings is absent (the surroundings attract no attention). Training for habits of personal care and behavior is severely limited; education, even in auxiliary specialized institutions, is virtually unworkable. Treatment has been developed for some forms of idiocy (glutamic acid, sedatives and neuroleptic agents, diets, and surgery). A major role is played by therapeutic pedagogy—systematic training for customary, elementary habits of behavior, personal care, and ordering of reactions. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup |
|---|