| Intellectual Disability |
| Intellectual disability (formerly Mental Retardation): A disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behaviour as expressed in conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills. This disability originates before age 18. (American Association on Mental Retardation -- AAMR; now called the American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disorders) intellectual abilities reasoning, planning, solving problems, thinking abstractly, comprehending complex ideas, learning quickly, learning from experience. This is measured with an IQ test; a person with an IQ that is less than 70 to 75 may be considered intellectually disabled. adaptive behaviour a collection of conceptual, social, and practical skills that have been learned by people in order to function in their everyday lives, such as reading, writing, language, money concepts, self-direction, interpersonal skills, responsibility, self-esteem, gullibility, naiveté, rules, laws, victimization, eating, mobility, toileting, dressing, preparing meals, housekeeping, transportation, medications, telephone use, etc. This can be measured with an adaptive behaviour scale. participation, interaction, and social roles important for fostering growth, development, and individual well-being. physical and mental health. Some individuals with intellectual disability enjoy robust good health with no significant activity limitations . . . On the other hand, some individuals have a variety of significant health limitations, such as epilepsy or cerebral palsy, that greatly impair functioning and severely restrict physical activities and social participation. environmental context. Context is the interrelated conditions in which people live their lives, consisting of: a) the immediate setting which includes the person and his/her family; b) the broader neighborhood, community, or organization that provide services and supports, and c) the overarching patterns of culture and society. age of onset. Prior to 18 years. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ IDEA definition of intellectual disability (formerly mental retardation): Significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Intellectual disability as a category is very diverse. Several classification systems have been developed to clarify this diversity: SEVERITY OF CONDITION: Intellectual disability is described by using the terms MILD, MODERATE, SEVERE, and PROFOUND. These terms generally refer to the person's IQ -- mild = 50 to 70 IQ (approximately 85% of people with intellectual disability fall in this range); moderate = 35 to 50 IQ (approximately 10%); severe = 20 to 35 (approximately 4%); and profound = below 20 (approximately 1%). Severity can also be expressed by the ability to be self-sufficient and the ability to communicate effectively. EDUCABILITY EXPECTATIONS: Classifications are based on how well a child is expected to achieve in a classroom situation. Most states specify an approximate IQ range and a statement of predicted achievement. (This is not really appropriate): educable -- IQ about 55 to 70 -- second to fifth grade achievement in school academic areas. Social adjustment skills will result in independence with intermittent or limited support in the community. Partial or total self-support in a paid community job is a strong possibility. trainable -- IQ 40 to 55 -- learning primarily in the area of self-care skills; some achievement in functional abilities. A range of more extensive support will be needed to help the student adapt to community environments. Opportunities for paid work include supported employment in a community job. ______________________________________________________________________________________ MEDICAL DESCRIPTORS: Intellectual disability can be classified on the basis of the biological origin of the condition. Common medical descriptors are fetal alcohol syndrome, Down syndrome, ' phenylketonuria, thyroid dysfunction, syphilis, rubella, etc. CLASSIFICATION BASED ON NEEDED SUPPORT: This is the classification system used by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disorders, based on the type and extent of support the individual needs to function at home and in the community. There are four levels of support: intermittent -- supports provided as needed. The support may be episodic or short-term and may be high or low intensity. limited -- supports are consistent, time required may be limited, and costs lower than more intensive supports. extensive -- supports are regular involvement in an least some of the individual's environments, and supports are not limited by time. pervasive -- support must be constant and of high intensity, across multiple environments, and may be life-sustaining in nature; involve more staffing and costs; more intrusive. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Physical Characteristics of Individuals with Moderate to Profound Intellectual disability Moderate -- gross and fine motor coordination is usually delayed. However, the individual is often ambulatory and capable of independent mobility. Perceptual motor skills exist (e.g., body awareness, sense of touch, eye-hand coordination) but are often delayed in comparison to the norm. Severe -- as many as 80% have significant motor difficulties (i.e., poor or no ambulatory skills). Gross or fine motor skills may be present, but the individual may lack control, resulting in awkward or uncontrolled movement. Profound -- some gross motor development is evident, but fine motor skills are delayed. The individual is usually nonambulatory and not capable of independent mobility within the environment. The individual may lack perceptual-motor skills. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Speech and Language Skills in Individuals with Moderate to Profound Intellectual disabilities Moderate -- most individuals have delays or deviations in speech and language skills, but many develop language abilities that make possible some level of communication with others. Severe -- individuals exhibit significant speech and language delays and deviations (such as lack of expressive and receptive language, articulation errors, and little, if any, spontaneous interaction). Profound -- individuals do not exhibit spontaneous communication patterns. Echolalic speech, speech out of context, and purposeless speech may be evident. |
| POSSIBLE CAUSES OF intellectual disabilities: 30% -- cause UNKNOWN Chromosomal abnormalities Down Syndrome -- 5 to 6% William Syndrome Fragile X Syndrome Angelman syndrome Prader-Willi syndrome Metabolism and nutritional factors Phenylketonuria Galactosemia Tay Sachs disease Hunter syndrome Hurler syndrome Sanfillipo syndrome Metachromatic leukodystrophy Adrenoleukodystrophy Lesch-Nyhan's syndrome Rett syndrome Reye's syndrome Congenital hypothyroidism high bilirubin levels in infancy hypoglycemia Postnatal brain disease Neurofibromatosis Tuberous Sclerosis Infection and intoxication Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Maternal infections congenital rubella HIV toxoplasmosis drug usage Prematurity Low Birth Weight Rh incompatibility Encephalitis Radiation Meningitis Congenital cytomegalovirus Encephalitis Toxoplasmosis Listeriosis HIV Methylmercury poisoning Lead poisoning Traumas and physical accidents Asphyxiation Anoxia Seizures Intracranial hemorrhage head injury poisoning Unknown prenatal influences anencephaly hydrocephalus Environmental malnutrition neglect abuse |
| Much of the information on Intellectual disability is taken from "Human Exceptionality: School, Community, and Family" Eighth Edition, 2006, by Michael L. Hardman, Clifford J. Drew, and M. Winston Egan. |
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