Intellectual Development Disorder: An Overview

Introduction:

Some children exhibit slower academic progress compared to their peers and struggle with fulfilling daily responsibilities, physical activities, and playtime. This can be attributed to their limited intellectual abilities at certain stages. While this condition is long-lasting, there are services and therapies available to address behavioral symptoms and improve academic performance. The worldwide prevalence of intellectual development disorder is approximately one to three percent.

What Is Intellectual Development Disorder?

Intellectual development disorder, also known as intellectual disability, is a neurodevelopmental condition in which the child lacks intelligence abilities and adaptive functioning. The disability interferes with practical functioning and socialization. Hence, they have a hard time learning, communicating, responding, planning, and creating solutions. Hence, they require additional time to acquire and proficiently grasp a skill.

Intellectual disability is often referred to as general learning disability. In early times, intellectual development disorders were known as mental retardation, and the term is not used anymore.

Examples of Intellectual Development Disorder: Intellectual developmental disorders can include certain other conditions those affect the senses (including touch, taste, sight, hearing, and smell) or the processing mechanism of the brain, or the information interpretation from the senses obtained. Certain conditions associated with intellectual development disorders include Down syndrome, Cerebral palsy, fragile X syndrome, and autism spectrum disorder.

What Causes Intellectual Development Disorder?

Intellectual disability is not just caused by a single etiology, but diverse factors contribute to the cause of the condition. Children who undergo traumatic experiences have a higher probability of developing long-lasting disabilities that persist into adolescence. The conditions and circumstances that impair the child's mental capabilities are listed below:

• Infections, malnutrition, and substance abuse during the prenatal stage induce brain damage in the fetus.

• Complications during delivery like premature birth or oxygen deprivation.

• Genetic illnesses like Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, and phenylketonuria.

• Infections like rubella, measles, meningitis, and whooping cough.

• Severe head injury.

• Congenital abnormalities.

• Stroke.

• Anomalies of the brain.

• Intoxication of mercury or lead.

• Abuse.

• Neglect.

What Are the Symptoms of Intellectual Development Disorder?

The child exhibits the signs and behavioral symptoms right from childhood at around the age of two. Intellectual disability is sorted as mild, moderate, and severe based on the severity and limiting intelligence. The mild type is when there is a decrease in a child’s academic events, which is identified during schooling. In addition, the child has the following behavioral signs.

• The milestones based on motor functioning like crawling, walking, or overturning get delayed.

• Talk slowly with distorted phrases.

• Language and speech impairment.

• Problem with receptive language, either verbal cues or gestures.

• Behavioral problems with uncommon conduct.

• Malfunction in growing intellectually as that results in immature, childlike behavior.

• Could not cope with self-care activities such as brushing, dressing up, and dining.

• Fails to follow the social rules and thus results in solitariness.

• Difficulties in sustaining academic performance and extracurricular bustles.

• The challenge in recalling the events.

• Lack of problem-solving skills.

• A complication with logical reasoning.

How Is Intellectual Development Disorder Diagnosed?

The health care professionals will look for any underlying hereditary or metabolic disorders through laboratory tests and physical examination. Additional tests are also advisory for neurodevelopmental illness, cognitive disorders, and hearing loss concerning those delays in milestone development. Finally, an intellectual development disorder diagnosis relies on screening the two aspects, namely intellectual and adaptive functioning.

• Intellectual Performance: An appropriate psychometric tool is employed to analyze one’s mental ability. The child is considered to lack intellectual ability when the intelligence quotient (IQ) is about 70 to 75 on a full scale. As the score does not accurately deliberate on the utter level of intelligence, supplementary activities are given to determine the significant mental performances.

• Adaptive Functioning: This functioning skill is examined by a thorough analysis of daily tasks like interviewing family members. It has to deal with three vital components. The first one, conceptual skill is more about knowledge and language, such as learning, writing, and understanding. The other leans on socialization which takes insight into the manner of social interactions, communication, and empathy. The final practical assessment leads to an analysis of daily tasks and responsibilities. It includes self-help performances, accomplishing school tasks, money management skills, and amusement.

How Is Intellectual Development Disorder Managed?

As it is a condition that persists throughout one's lifetime, there is no specific treatment and curative intervention for intellectual development disorder. But, advantageously, there prevail certain program-based services for the children to strive and thrive with the condition. Any program that aids in stressing the needs, strength, illness present, and the care needed for children.

Early Intervention: As the name indicates, the intervention is on addressing and helping the little ones and toddlers. Here, a few professionals discuss with parents and frame an abstract on their requirements and the services. This proposal is known as the individualized family service plan, IFSP. Then, they will assist the child with intervention.

• Speech therapy.

• Physical therapy.

• Occupational therapy.

• Learning with special devices.

• Family counseling.

• Nutrition services.

• Special Education: This unique education service is for schoolers and preschoolers who lack intellectual ability. The service aims to provide the essential adaptations and refinement in succeeding the child. An individualized education program, IEP, is pre-planned for the special child by the teachers and parents.

• Family Support: Based on the fact that the family is the support system of any child, services are available to educate the parents in caring for their child.

Other Programs:

• Vocation program.

• Transitional services.

• Case management.

• Day program.

• Housing and residential way.

• Therapeutic recreation.

• Psychological services.

• Speech-language pathologist.

• Auditory aids.

• Rehabilitation.

• Appropriate adapted equipment.

What Are the Comorbid Conditions Associated With Intellectual Developmental Disorder?

A comorbid condition is all about a co-occurring disorder. In this case, intellectual developmental disorder may occur with other mental or neurodevelopmental illnesses such as;

• Autism spectrum disorder.

• Depression.

• Anxiety.

• Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

• Impulse control disorder.

• Epilepsy.

• Cerebral palsy.

Conclusion:

Intellectual development disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting and causing issues with intellectual tasks. This condition can begin at any time before the child hits 18. It is considered a profound concern since children with this condition have difficulty with significant things including communication, learning, rational thoughts, planning, and making decisions. This can influence the children’s personal and educational life, making it hard to strive in academics. There is no permanent or specific intervention for this condition since it persists throughout life. But certain coping therapies and strategies are available to help the child better succeed in life.