1. Children with mental retardation do not form a uniform group. The nature of mental retardation, its severity, and the child's ability to cope with the problem all influence how this disability is visible to an observer. However there are some specific signs and symptoms which can help in early identification of delayed development in a child (WHO, 1989):

the person deos not learn new activitiesas easily as other people,

the child may have difficulty sitting up, using his or her hands, or moving from place to place,

the person may be slow to respond to what others say and to what happens around him or her,

ther person may not understand as well as other people what he or she sees, hears, touches, smells, and tastes,

the person may not be able to express his or her needs or feelings in a way that other people understand,

the person may not be able to think clearly. For example, the person may not be able to compare people or things. The person may not be able to understand the difference between here or there, now or later, or more or less. The person may not know the meaning of where, when, what, how much, and why, the person may remember only for a short time what he or she has been told or what has happended in the past. Or the person may not remember these things at all, the person may or may not be able to pay attentation to one person or to one activity for long, the person may have difficulty controlling his or her feelings, the person may have difficulty making decisions. He or she may not know what to do, to say, to wear, and so on.