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The first recognition of intellectual disabilities was during the Ancient Greek and Roman Era. They felt that people with intellectual disabilities were a punishment from God and should be killed. Otherwise someone had to watch this child at all times.Usually only the wealthy were able to have this privalege.
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The first documented program of intervention took place in France.
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Throughout the 1800's many people were placed in asylums, poorhouses, country homes, and almshouses.
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A wing of the Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston was created to train people about intellectual disabilities and how to treat them. This same year there was also the first private institution.
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The first book was published about Intellectual Disabilties and was tited, Idiocy and its Treatments in Physiological Methods.
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New Jersey is the first state to mandate that education be provided for all children. This includes children with disabilties.
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During the late 1800's and eary 1900's many books were published about Intellectual Disabiities. One was published which was titled, The Kallikak Family: A Study in the Heredity of Feeble-Mindedness. This then started a movement that people with intellectual disabilities should not be medicated because it was ruining the idea of natural selection which was making the cost of living increase.
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The Vocational Rehabilitation Act was created in 1920 which protected the rights of anyone with disabilities.
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In the early 1930's and 1940's testing became popular especially in schools. Two tests that were often used were the Vineland Social Maturity Scale and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.
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By 1944, 30 states had sterilization laws and many were put into action. The government wanted to keep men and women with intellectual disabilties apart so they would not be able to reproduce.
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National Association of Parents and Friends of Mentally Retarded Children was created which today is known as ARC. This program provides resources and services to families with disabilities.
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President Kennedy created the President's Panel on Mental Retardation which is now the President's Committee on Intellectual Disabilities.This focuses on creating services, education and prevention for disabilities.
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In 1975, the Education for Al Handicaped Children Act was passed which made it into law that free public education for all children. This mae sure that even children with intellectual disabilties recieved an education.
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In the 1980's and 1990's the deifintion of Intellectual Disabilities had changed which has resulted in a decrease in the amount of cases. There has also been an increase in early intervention, community-based rehabilitation, definition and diagnosis, human rights, and legislation.
