Dr Mir Himayun Majeed
Intellectual disability (ID), formerly known as mental retardation, results due to range of environmental and genetic factors that lead to a combination of cognitive and social impairments.
It is characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, and problem-solving) and in adaptive behavior (conceptual, social, and practical skills) that emerges before the age of 18 years.
Intellectual disability is characterized by significant limitations in cognitive and adaptive functioning. The severity is classified as mild, moderate, severe, and profound, based on various measures of functioning and clinical judgment.
According to DSM-5, 1 percent of the population has intellectual disability. Rates are higher in males.
Mild intellectual disability is primarily due to environmental risk factors. It constitutes the largest group of people with intellectual disability, possibly as many as 85 percent of all persons with ID.
On the other hand, severe intellectual disability is more likely to be due to an underlying biologic etiology. Severe intellectual disability occurs in about 3 to 4 percent of the population of people with intellectual disability.
Symptoms and signs of severe intellectual disability are seen at an earlier age, generally before 3 years of age; whereas, those of mild intellectual disability are seen at a later age.
The diagnosis of intellectual disabilities is based on clinical features and formal standardized testing for intellectual and adaptive functioning.
Profound intellectual disability affects relatively few individuals (1 to 2 percent) with ID. The main principles of management of individuals who have intellectual disability include general medical care, treatment of associated conditions, educational interventions, treatment of behavioral symptoms, and community based supports.
Etiology of Intellectual Disability
1.Prenatal Causes:It includes Genetic Disorders, congenital malformations,exposure to teratogens, maternal infections.
2.Perinatal causes:It includes infections,meningitis, asphyxia, delivery complications.
3. Postnatal causes:It includes infections,toxins, encephalitis, psychosocial problems, poverty and psychotic illnesses.
4.Unknown causes:There are also some unknown causes leading to intellectual disability.
Myths and Facts
There are multiple number of myths and facts associated with intellectual disability.
Myth: Intellectual disability is considered to be a contagious disease.
Fact:Intellectual disability is not contagious and there is no reason of spreading through any type of close contact.
Myth:Intellectual disability is considered as a hereditary problem.
Fact:Intellectual disability is only inherited in some cases. Most often it is caused by external influences also and among them some of these can be prevented.
Myth:Children with intellectual disability should be dealt with harsh methods and punished while being undisciplined.
Fact:Children with intellectual disabilities need to be taught good behaviours, moral values and however consider their limitations while dealing so.
Myth: There is a belief that marriage can cure intellectual disability
Fact: Marriage to a person with intellectual disability must take place only after consent of the partner after explaining the persons medical problem.
Myth: Medicines and vitamins can cure in intellectual disability.
Fact: Patients with intellectual disabilities can be caused by treatable conditions and the proper treatment of such conditions can cure it however, there are no tonics that can stimulate a damaged brain.
Myth:Bad deeds of parents from a previous life can cause intellectual disability.
Fact: However, this belief is entirely false belief.These things are more likely to increase burden of parents with intellectual disabilities. However, these parents and care givers need support from the community and encouragement that people with intellectual disability perform very well with sufficient support from their family and the community.
Myth: There is a common notion in our community that faith healers can cure intellectual disability.
Fact: This is complete false belief. Faith healers at times misguide parents into believing that they can cure intellectual disability, however there is no proof or valid research-based evidence that supports the same. In fact, this approach of the parents leads to delay in treatment seeking of some reversible and preventable causes of intellectual disability.
Lastly, we need to remember special children have special abilities, need is to recognise them.
