children s health issues
Intellectual Disability
Introduction
Intellectual disability is significantly below average intellectual functioning present from birth or early infancy, causing limitations in the ability to conduct normal activities of daily living. Intellectual disability can be genetic or the result of a disorder that interferes with brain development. Most children with intellectual disability do not develop noticeable symptoms until they are in preschool. The diagnosis is based on the results of formal testing. Proper prenatal care lowers the risk of having a child with intellectual disability. Support from many specialists, therapy, and special education help children achieve the highest level of functioning possible. Intellectual disability is a Definition of Developmental Disorders . The previously used termmental retardationhas acquired an undesirable social stigma, so health care practitioners have replaced it with the termintellectual disability. Intellectual disability (ID) is not a specific medical disorder like pneumonia or strep throat, and it is not a Overview of Mental Health Disorders Children and Adolescents . People with ID have significantly below average intellectual functioning that is severe enough to limit their ability to cope with one or more areas of normal daily living (adaptive skills) to such a degree that they require ongoing support. Adaptive skills may be categorized into several areas including Conceptual area: Competence in memory, reading, writing, and math Social area: Interpersonal skills, functional communication, social judgment, and awareness of others' thoughts and feelings Practical area: Personal care, task organization (for work or school), money management, and health and safety People with intellectual disability have varying degrees of impairment, classified from mild to profound. Although fundamentally impairment is caused by the decreased intellectual functioning (typically measured by standardized intelligence tests), the impact on the person's life depends more on the amount of support the person requires. For example, a person who has only mild impairment on an intelligence test may have such poor adaptive skills that extensive support is required. Supportis categorized as Intermittent: Occasional support needed Limited: Support such as a day program in a sheltered workshop Extensive: Daily, ongoing support Pervasive: High level of support for all activities of daily living, possibly including extensive nursing care Based only on IQ test scores, about 3% of the population has intellectual disability (an IQ of less than 70). If classification is based on the need for support, only about 1% of the population has severe intellectual disability. 