What is intellectual disability?
Intellectual disability, also known as mental
retardation, is a term used when there are limits to
a person's ability to learn at an expected level and
function in daily life. Levels of intellectual disability vary
greatly in children – from a very slight problem to a very
severe problem. Children with intellectual disability might
have a hard time letting others know their wants and
needs, and taking care of themselves. Intellectual disability
could cause a child to learn and develop more slowly
than other children of the same age. It could take longer
for a child with intellectual disability to learn to speak, walk,
dress, or eat without help, and they could have trouble
learning in school.
Intellectual disability can be caused by a problem that starts
any time before a child turns 18 years old – even before
birth. It can be caused by injury, disease, or a problem
in the brain. For many children, the cause of their intellectual disability is not known. Some of the most common
known causes of intellectual disability – like Down syndrome,
fetal alcohol syndrome, fragile X syndrome, genetic
conditions, birth defects, and infections – happen before
birth. Others happen while a baby is being born or
soon after birth. Still other causes of intellectual disability
do not occur until a child is older; these might include
serious head injury, stroke, or certain infections.
What are some of the signs of
intellectual disability?
Usually, the more severe the degree of intellectual disability,
the earlier the signs can be noticed. However, it might
still be hard to tell how young children will be affected
later in life.
There are many signs of intellectual disability. For example,
children with intellectual disability may:
- sit up, crawl, or walk later than other children
- learn to talk later, or have trouble speaking
- find it hard to remember things
- have trouble understanding social rules
- have trouble seeing the results of their actions
- have trouble solving problems
What can I do if I think my child may have intellectual
disability?
If you or your doctor think there could be
a problem, you can take your child to see a developmental
pediatrician or other specialist, and you can contact your
local early intervention agency (for children under 3) or
public school (for children 3 and older). To find out who
to speak to in your area, you can contact the National
Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities by
logging on to www.nichcy.org/states.htm or calling
1-800-695-0285. In addition, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) has links to information for
families (www.cdc.gov/ncbddd).
To help your child reach his or her full potential, it is very
important to get help for him or her as early as possible!
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