What can I expect if my child has intellectual disability?
People who have milder forms of intellectual disability or conditions that cause it may be able to recognize some of the differences between themselves and others. However, a key part of intellectual disability is that it disrupts your ability to fully process and understand what’s happening to you or around you.
Because of that, many individuals with intellectual disability can’t fully understand how this condition affects them. Instead, parental figures or other caregivers are more likely to notice the signs and symptoms of intellectual disability in their child or a child of a close loved one.
Remember that your child will still have goals, desires and strengths. It’s important that you help your child identify these so they can live their best life with the proper support.
People with intellectual disability may also be unable to recognize when others are trying to take advantage of them. Support programs can help teach people with intellectual disability to protect themselves, but caregiver support and oversight are vital to their well-being.
What’s the outlook for intellectual disability?
The outlook for intellectual disability depends on many factors, especially how severe it is, the underlying cause and any other conditions that happen along with it. Your child’s healthcare provider is the best source of information on your child’s outlook and what you can do to help manage their condition.
Most people with intellectual disability will need some form of support throughout their lives. However, there are programs and organizations that can help along the way. Many people with intellectual disabilities can go on to live independently to varying degrees. Depending on their needs, preferences and desires, many have jobs, families and other components that make up everyday life. Overall, with the correct support, individuals with an intellectual disability can have a good quality of life.
FAQs
Intelligence-related symptoms of intellectual disability can mean you have any of the following: Delayed or slowed learning of any kind (such as in school or from real-life experiences). Slowed reading speed. Difficulties with reasoning and logic. Problems with judgment and critical thinking.
How does an intellectual disability affect a person's life? ›
Persons with profound intellectual disability often have congenital syndromes (Sattler, 2002). These individuals cannot live independently, and they require close supervision and help with self-care activities. They have very limited ability to communicate and often have physical limitations.
How to manage intellectual disability patients? ›
10 Tips for Working With People With Intellectual Disabilities
- Do not call them kids. ...
- Use clear, simplified language and try speaking slower, not louder. ...
- Set expectations. ...
- Treat them as you would your peers. ...
- Draw boundaries. ...
- Ask them their thoughts and allow them to answer.
Intellectual disability (or ID) is a term used when a person has certain limitations in cognitive functioning and skills, including conceptual, social and practical skills, such as language, social and self-care skills.
What is the best treatment for intellectual disabilities? ›
What are recommended intellectual disability treatments?
- Primary Prevention. ...
- Secondary and Tertiary Prevention.
- Prompt attention to medical and psychiatric complications of intellectual disability can diminish their course and minimize the disability. ...
- Behavioral and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. ...
- Family Education.
The most common known preventable or environmental cause of intellectual disability is fetal alcohol syndrome, the most common chromosomal cause is Down syndrome, and the most common genetic cause is Fragile X syndrome.
How do people with intellectual disability behave? ›
Other behavioral traits associated with intellectual disability—but not deemed criteria for a diagnosis—include aggression, dependency, impulsivity, gullibility, passivity, self-injury, stubbornness, low self-esteem, low frustration tolerance, and high risk of suicide.
Is intellectual disability a mental illness? ›
A person with an intellectual disability has a life-long condition of slow intellectual development, where medication has little or no effect. A person with mental illness has a disorder that can be treated with medication, psychotherapy or other supports.
What struggles do people with intellectual disabilities face? ›
Some of the more common health conditions among people with ID include motor deficits, epilepsy, allergies, otitis media, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), dysmenorrhea, sleep disturbances, seizure disorders, mental illness, vision and hearing impairments, oral health problems, and constipation (Jansen, Krol, ...
What is the first line treatment for intellectual disability? ›
Psychological therapies are first-line management. SSRIs are the recommended first-line drugs. Commence on a low dose and increase more slowly than in the general population. Benzodiazepines should only be used short term when required.
The following three criteria must be met: Deficits in intellectual functions, such as reasoning, problem solving, planning, abstract thinking, judgment, academic learning, and learning from experience, confirmed by both clinical assessment and individualized, standardized intelligence testing.
Is intellectual disability considered special needs? ›
Federal law also requires that special education and related services are available free to every eligible child with a disability, including intellectual disability.
What are the signs of intellectual disability in adults? ›
Failing to understand social cues. Issues remembering or recalling things. Inability to perform routine tasks, such as dressing oneself or using a remote. Relying on nonverbal communication.
What does severe intellectual disability look like? ›
In most cases, these individuals need assistance with speaking, walking, dressing, and eating. Usually delays in motor functioning, language abilities, and social milestones can be identified within the first two years of a child's life if he or she has more severe intellectual disabilities.
Is intellectual disability autism? ›
A simplistic way of differentiating the two conditions would be to ascribe deficits in more narrowly defined or core areas to autism, while intellectual disability entails deficits across functional domains.
What are the behaviors of intellectual disability? ›
Other behavioral traits associated with intellectual disability—but not deemed criteria for a diagnosis—include aggression, dependency, impulsivity, gullibility, passivity, self-injury, stubbornness, low self-esteem, low frustration tolerance, and high risk of suicide.
What are the 3 defining characteristics of intellectual disabilities? ›
What are the characteristics of intellectual disability? The key characteristics of students with intellectual disability significantly show that they are below grade level in reading and learning basic math skills. Their cognitive skill deficits are memory, slow learning rates, attention, and generalization.
What are the five main categories of intellectual disabilities? ›
The common types of intellectual disabilities include: Down syndrome, fragile x syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, and Prader-Willi syndrome. Intellectual disability is the impairment of cognitive functioning.
