Borderline retardation

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My niece and nephew (neither of whom are autistic) who live with me are both borderline ret*d. My niece's IQ is around 73, while my nephew's IQ is 76 or 78. Is there any hope at all for them to ever go to college or university. Have people with such low IQs ever gotten a degree before?

Odds of them going to college are very slim unless they get some very specialized tutoring and it's very effective. Realistically, they probably won't ever even get a high school diploma (though it's far too early to give up yet). There is also the problem that even if they do graduate high school or graduate college, when they get jobs customers, clients, co-workers, supervisors/managers, and interviewers will take them seriously unless they work at someplace that hires developmentally disabled people and even then they won't be taken seriously if they try to get a promotion (expect to hear a lot of interviewers say "thank you, we'll get back to you as soon as we've made our decision", and never hear from them again).

They could sue for discrimination, but they would have a problem getting judges to take them seriously in pre-trial proceedings and not throw the case out, and if the case made it to trial they would have to make one hell of an impression on the jury during their testimony to stand any kind of chance of being taken seriously. Even if they won such a suit, it would be hard to get the jury to believe that their labor is worth as much as someone who is average (with no noteworthy strengths or weaknesses) in every way, and they will likely get awarded a very small amount compared to what they probably would have got if they had been discriminated against for being gay or something else other than mentally disabled.

Well, my IQ is above average and I had to jump out of the university because I couldn't keep up. I can't imagine what it would be for someone who was borderline ret*d. But maybe it depends on what course or degree you're taking at the university or college. In the course I was taking, we had to read like 200 or more pages in two days and make an analysis of the text. But at this particular university, you can get a degree in something called "Free art", where you can show a jury your art and if they like it you could get in. You don't even need good grades. That's the only way I can imagine someone borderline ret*d could get into a university, but they might be other ways.

You don't say where you live, so that makes it hard to respond effectively. In the US, there are programs at some colleges/universities for individuals with cognitive delays. They don't lead to degrees, but they do provide some "higher education," and they allow young adults to have the experience of going to college like their peers do, and learning to live more independently.

There are also other post-secondary options that should be part of a young person's IEP transition plan, to help assure that s/he is prepared to enter young adulthood appropriately. This could include vocational training, job training, a job coach (if necessary/appropriate). There are lots of job paths that don't require college, and that might be a more appropriate goal for your niece and nephew. In fact, as the costs of college education soar, and financial assistance plummets, many would-be students will be looking for alternatives to college anyway.

While my IQ is not 73 it is 82 which is still classified as Borderline Intellectual Functioning and I graduated a 2 year college. The only reason why I graduated that college is because I was the luckiest person in known existence. My classes were mainly multiple question tests rather than essays. I am good at making educated guesses on tests such as those. Process of elimination. If I had essay questions where you had to write a paragraph or so about the subject and I didn't know anything because of lower than normal IQ then I would have been screwed. I had a couple of hard classes namely Oceanography and German. I struggled like heck in them and felt like I was the dumbest student in the entire class. I don't know if people with a 73 IQ can have such luck though. I was just lucky and graduated with honors. I studied harder than any other student to make it possible. My reading comprehension is not that good and I had to read it over and over again to make sense. I would have not be able to graduate a 4 year university though. The classes as they were are too difficult for me.

I guess I just fear that they will settle into a cycle laziness and welfare, when I think they are capable of more. I think we might have set the bar a bit too high with university, but even if they could go learn a trade--I think I would be happy with that. I mean, people wouldn't guess they are near MMR just by looking at them or even having a conversation with them (unless they start getting into indepth concepts or something.) They are only borderline afterall, but still there is definitely an impairment. My nephew is talking about going on a basketball scholarship. He is already in junior high and has so much trouble grasping the subject material (although he IS also extremely lazy and could possibly turn even a couple of his Cs into Bs.) My niece seems to have no ability to grasp any concepts at all. For example, she has NO concept of time AT ALL. For Math questions, both struggle a lot. But if you explain one through very slowly for my nephew, he could do the page without making too many mistakes. My niece...if you explain one question through even slower for her and then two seconds later give her the SAME question, she cannot get even part of the answer again. She is in IPP for language arts and math, my nephew is not for anything even though it has been suggested. My niece was evaluated to be at the age of 6 in many things (she is almost 12), and my nephew was evaluated to be at the age of 9 (he is 13). Both of them will say heart-wrenching things sometimes like "I'm stupid", but neither of them know they have been diagnosed as borderline.

I think we were in denial for a long time, but the more I see them struggle at school, the more I am losing hope that they will go to university. Especially after what was said here, I think we will first work toward high school diploma (because they will get that if it kills us!) and then hopefully they can get a trade or something. (My niece loves to cook! Maybe she will get into that line of work. It is only a year at a community college....)

I don't think that was luck at all! I think it was because you studied harder than any other student. Congratulations--that is very admirable!! ! When my niece and nephew bring home poor grades and get down about it, I always tell them the same thing: "if you slack off and get a C, then that is not acceptable. If you work as hard as you possibly can, and you get a C, then we are very proud of you!" My nephew slacks off like crazy, doesn't care at all about his work, and his grades reflect that. He thinks he is too stupid to do any better, but he won't even try. I hate when they say that because they are smart at other things and IQ isn't the only indicator of intelligence.

It kind of reminds me of my cousins, both teenagers and brothers. One is super smart, but doesn't try at school. The other one has a severe learning disability. I don't know if he qualifies as borderline or not, I don't know his IQ, but either way, he is so smart in my eyes--very wise, and sometimes I go to him for advice and I am 11 years older! Anyway, his brother brings home As and Bs, while he gets Cs, and maybe a few Bs. I have never seen ANYONE try so hard at school, and to me that makes him brilliant in my eyes--he gets way more out of his education than his brother does, even if the letter grades do not reflect that. I think that might be like you and your classmates. You worked your butt off, and I would gather that you probably got a lot more for your money than they did out of the experience.

It's not that they are incapable of doing anything with their life, the problem is that so few people will put any confidence in them growing up and fewer people will bother giving them a chance in the work force. If they can overcome that, their lives might turn out okay.

At home, we always try to enforce the "you can do anything" attitude. I don't want them to have a label strapped to them for the rest of their lives thinking that they can't do anything. Then, of course, we have something crazy happen that kind of squashes the confidence we are trying to give them. When my niece started on IPP, she came home one day really down and told me that her teacher is giving her grade one work (she is in grade five but supposed to be in grade six). I asked her who she knew that and she said that is what it said in the corner of her page. What?! Now if that isn't a way to belittle someone's confidence--I think the teacher could have at least put white out over it! But yeah, I see that it is these little things that are going to enforce in their minds that they are not smart enough to do anything. I always try to make them feel they can succeed at whatever they try, and hopefully, they will both be able to learn a trade when they get older.

If they are gong to get treated like that, they might one day be better off and accept crappy grades in a resource or mainstream class. They would actually get a better quality of education that way as long as they get suitable tutoring. If your family can find them a good special ed teacher in a class for kids that aren't too far behind, that might be a good way to keep their work up to a suitable difficulty and get them help. Most states allow for special ed students to switch schools as needed, and sometimes even switch districts. You might want to consider asking further questions about your siblings education in the parents forum. They would know more about that.

Anbuend has reported instances that she knows of where people with mental retardation have not only gone to university but, if I remember right, also to graduate school. I don't remember the details. My guess is it depends a lot on the individual person and on the program, but I am fairly ignorant about such things.

But I also want to make the point that university is not necessary for having a good life or being a good person. Yes, you don't want them to give up and fall into laziness. But seeing university as the only alternative may actually encourage that. If they see that the only thing that is valued and presented as a worthwhile thing to do is an academic thing which they are not well suited for, they may be more likely to give up than if other options of things worth doing are presented to them as valuable and not in any way inferior to university.

I wish all parents (and teachers) were enlightened enough to have that attitude.

my IQ is 78 I'm 24 year I'm trying to see if I can get in Hiram g Andrews center in Johnstown pa it a trade school for anyone with disability I have struggled to keep a job because of my disability it takes more time and patience for me to learn things and people mistake me for being lazy but I'm just happy there a school that will help and understand my struggles

I heard of a woman with Down Syndrome who graduated from an arts' program at my past university. I don't know what her IQ was (a few DS people are in the normal range of IQ) but creativity is probably more important than IQ in art school.

People with low IQs and people with very high IQs tend to have something in common.
They tend to do what makes them happy in life.

I have a friend who I think might have a bit of a below average IQ but he's a completely independent and functional human being and is content with his relatively menial job.

Hello. My IQ is 75 and I've been confirmed as borderline intellectually empaired. I want to say a few things. Everything and everyone with these different levels of functioning have different skill levels and cognitive levels. Don't put the same group of people in one category because not everyone is the same.

I graduated high school. I was in special education and they helped me through. My mom had a hard time coming to terms with my conditions and had unrealistic academic expectations of me. I finished a gpa of about 2.9. Now, I'm accepted into a community college. I've made the deans list two times, joined an honors fraternity for 2 year students, did a honors project with a professor and in the progress of getting an Associates of arts and transferring.

Now, not everyone is going to be able to do this with borderline functioning. Some are going to have to work part time and live at home. That would be reasonable for them. Others it could be different like me. You'll likely qualify for state assistance for social services and career services like vocational rehabilitation. In high schoo towards your senior year your school should likely refer a special education student with IEP or 504 to that. I'm now getting services after being on a waitlist for 2 years because my state cut funding to a lot of these programs and privatized everything which has had a lot of blow back.

I'm going to be doing some internships for the US federal government through Schedule A hiring when they contact me. Schedule A hiring is for people with any disability and at any level of functioning. You could be a library shelver at the library of congress or a policy crafter at the White House. You could even be a cook in the military or a lawyer in the defense department. you'll likely get fantastic benefits and a retirement pension guarrenteed. You'll get accamodations for your condition if you can prove it through documentation.

The federal government even holds public and college job fairs for people with disabilities and have recruiters for us. You can work for NASA in jobs you have qualifications for or you could work for the Nationa Park Sevice as a tour guide. Overall, there are a lot of options and there not all in Washington DC. You don't need a degree to get a job for the government but you will have to find a job your qualified for. I would like to work at the White House or the State Department because of I get to travel and be an advisor with aspie expertise to the politican. My fixation will be an asset.

Overall, not everyone is going to be a policy crafter or attorney with borderline mental retardation. But there are a lot of options for us. However, don't limit yourself because of your condition but you need to be realistic with your choices. Look up schedule A hiring of the USA.gov and you can find a lot more information online there.

Best wishes,
Ty