Resident Terminology

Terminology Used For Laurelton Residents Over The Years:

Idiot and imbecile were IQ terms.

The correct terms used for residents as a whole ranged from inmates in the 1920s and 1930s to Patients, followed by Students, then Residents, and finally Individuals. Other terms used either info informally by staff or even in narratives on reports to the state were:

Low morons - High morons - Borderline - Dull normal - Delinquent defective - Psychotic - Personalty deviate - Brain injured - Incorrigible - Uncooperative - Insane - Feeble-minded - Women - Girls - Children - Imbecile - Little girls

Still in use in 1956 on Analysis of Admissions were:

Idiot - Imbecile - Low moron - High moron - Borderline - Dull normal - Average

Idiot - Wikipedia - from the Greek - formerly a technical term in legal and psychiatric contexts for profound intellectual disability where mental age is 2 years or 20 or less.

In the 14th Century, a mentally deficient I.Q. below 30 was an idiot. Imbeciles were in the 3-7 year range and morons were in the 7-10 year range.