Not autism, but I thought people here might know anyway.

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I thought the parents' board might have one or two people who might have experience with this. I am wondering, what is the likelihood of a child with severe ADHD and borderline mental retardation to become independent in adulthood? Sometimes I worry that it might never happen seeing as how she is already mentally about 5 or 6 years younger than her physical age.

I'm totally out of my element answering you, but from what I know of the most common barriers to independence, I would say that neither of those traits has to be a deal breaker. I am much more concerned about extreme anxiety, severe executive dysfunction, sensory issues, and extreme social issues, all of which are known to cause problems with independence no matter how capable someone otherwise is. ADHD can be managed for most people, and there are jobs that don't require that much intelligence, although they don't pay well and the pool is shrinking. Overall, I would guess that it will depend on what other co-morbids are present or develop, and how much luck comes into play.

This question is a non sequitor! If they are BORDERLINE ret*d, and 5-6 years behind others, they should be like 17 years old or older! So they ARE an adult! YOU TELL US!

If they were say 10, as you imply they might be, they would have a 50 IQ and be considered ret*d. I DOUBT such a person will do well. If they were <7, they would be PROFOUNDLY ret*d and the answer would probably be NO WAY!


HERE is a list:


Class IQ
Profound mental retardation Below 20
Severe mental retardation 20–34
Moderate mental retardation 35–49
Mild mental retardation 50–69
Borderline intellectual functioning 70–84

SO, with a 5 year deficit.... A person...

Younger than 7 is PROFOUND!
About 7 is severe
About 8-9 is moderate
About 16 is mild
About 17-31 is borderline

I think this depends entirely on the individual.

I wouldn't call 17 adult. Legally, 18 is the age of adulthood, but unless you have a crappy home life most people I know aren't independent until 20-23 or so. (Most university students I've met under the age of 25 are living at home.) The school system and foster care system say that developmentally disabled kids are entitled to children's services such as public schooling and foster care until they're 21. After that they're in the adult system.

And if the OP's daughter is close to adulthood, I could see this being a big concern.

My advice: Her skills matter more than her diagnosis. Think about what skills you need to run a household, and figure out which of those she's missing. Teach her the missing skills.

Also, try accomodations such as written or picture schedules, a daily planner, instructions on how to do various tasks posted on the wall near where the task is done, etc.

For work, talk to your local service providers to see if they have anything for helping her develop work skills, or getting her a job in a sheltered workshop. I know in my area the SACL (Saskatchewan Association for Community Living) has a program to help developmentally disabled people get work skills.

For money management, get her a bank account and an allowance, and start teaching her to save money. Don't get her a credit card, because credit cards + impulsivity = bankruptcy!

Excellent point.