Intellectual Disability: Meaning, Causes and Treatment

A person who has specific limits in their cognitive functioning, such as communication & self-care, is said to have an intellectual disability (ID). In this article, we will discuss about intellectual disability meaning, types, causes and treatment.

Intellectual Disability Meaning

A person with specific limits in their cognitive functioning, such as communication, social and self-care skills, is said to have an intellectual disability. Intellectual disability involves problems while carrying out daily functions and making decisions.

Intellectual disability can be divided into two types:

• Intellectual functioning:- It involves the ability to learn, solve problems and make decisions.

• Adaptive functioning:- It consists of the ability to communicate with people, perform personal care, have friendships, follow the rules, or complete one's daily life tasks.

How Can Someone Develop An Intellectual Disability?

Intellectual disability can also be referred to as mental retardation. In most cases, it develops in the early developmental stage. Most of the time, the reason is unknown. The most common reasons for intellectual disability are disease, injury to the brain or any brain disease, such as tumours or hormonal imbalance. The most common conditions leading to intellectual disability are:-

• Down Syndrome

• Fragile X Syndrome

• Phenylketonuria

• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

• Some people can have these conditions before birth, or in some cases, symptoms are not seen until the child is old enough.

What Causes Intellectual Disability?

The most common causes of intellectual disability are:-

• Genetic Problems:- These are conditions inherited from parents to their children. Genetic problems occur when there is a disturbance in the combination of genes or chromosomes, leading to a specific condition or disease. The most common genetic disorders leading to mental retardation are Down Syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome and Phenylketonuria.

• Infections or Diseases:- Diseases like whooping cough, meningitis and measles can cause intellectual disabilities. Malnutrition, including Kwashiorkor or Marasmus, can also lead to intellectual disabilities. Excessive exposure to toxins like mercury or lead can also lead to mental retardation.

• Complications in Pregnancy:- Infections like rubella or the expectant mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy have adverse effects on the development of the foetus and can lead to retarded growth, leading to intellectual disabilities.

• Also, trauma during pregnancy or delivery of the baby or insufficient oxygen during delivery can also lead to the retarded growth of the child's brain.

What are the Types Of Intellectual Disability?

Intellectual disability can be divided into four types:- Mild, Moderate, Severe and Profound.

• Mild:- These symptoms are not seen until a child starts going to school. Later, academic-related issues such as slow understanding and learning can be seen. Children with mild intellectual disabilities can perform personal care functions and care for themselves. They may need benign supervision and support as they learn new things slowly. The IQ level of a child with a mild disability is between 50 and 69.

• Moderate:- A child with a moderate intellectual disability finds it difficult to communicate and faces difficulty in making friends. These kids also find it difficult to practice self-care tasks and need supervision. The IQ of people with a moderate intellectual disability is between 35 and 49.

• Severe:- A child with a severe disability shows improper motor function. They find it difficult to walk, communicate or perform self-care. The IQ level of children with a severe intellectual disability is between 20 and 34.

• Profound:- A child with a profound intellectual disability shows symptoms like immobility and incontinence and interacts via non-verbal communication. Such children require constant help and support.

Treatment

Intellectual disability is a lifelong disease. It has no permanent cure. However, an early diagnosis and intervention can help a person perform self-care. Constant support and care should be given be provided to people with intellectual disabilities. The underlying cause or genetic condition can lead to other problems, which should be diagnosed at particular intervals to provide early treatment. Many types of services and support can be provided in these cases, such as:-

• Early diagnosis and intervention

• Identifying patient's strengths and needs

• Awareness of the family

• Communication or vocational programs

• Special learning centres

With proper support from the family and society, people with intellectual disabilities show great improvement and play a productive role in society.

What Is the Frequency of Intellectual Disabilities?

Intellectual disability is seen more frequently in low-income countries and is more common in poor people. It is seen that 16 in every 1,000 people have an intellectual disability in low-income countries. Around 1-3 per cent of the global population has an intellectual disability — 200 million people.

Parental Advice

People who have a child with an intellectual disability should be aware of the following:

• Knowledge about the disease.

• Need to show proper support for your child.

• Be patient, as a child with an intellectual disability learns slowly.

• Try to communicate with parents of other children with intellectual disabilities.

• Try to find special educational institutes for your children.

• Look for opportunities in social or sports activities for your children.

• Educate yourself about the needs and strengths of your child.