Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Understanding Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities

By Edna Booker


Just as is the case with physical abilities, all of us are not born with the same intellectual abilities. There are many individuals with intellectual disabilities in Portsmouth, VA. What this simply means is that these special groups of people may have limitations in the level of problem solving, reasoning and learning. These disorders are almost always noticed in the affected person before the age of 18.

This disability was and is still known in many areas as mental retardation. It may occur in isolation or in combination with physical disorders. Combinations are frequently seen in the case of conditions such as Down syndrome and the Foeatal alcohol system. The predisposing factors are numerous and are classified as social, biomedical, behavioural and educational. Infections that occur in pregnancy and in the perinatal period are particularly notorious.

Perhaps the biggest challenge that is faced by affected persons is the inability to learn things fast. This may be frustrating to an instructor especially in a school setting. When instructing this group of children, therefore, it is important that one is patient enough. If possible, the affected children should be taught in special schools where teachers are trained to handle them appropriately.

While some of the cases are obvious from the onset, there are many others that have rather subtle features. It is important that the affected child is reviewed by a psychiatrist for a proper diagnosis to be made. There are three main things that must be present for a proper diagnosis to be made: an onset at an age of less than 18, accompanying intellectual limitations and the presence of compromised adaptive behaviour.

Adaptive behaviour comprises three main areas. These include conceptual skills, practical skills and social skills. Conceptual skills relate to language and literacy, self direction, number concepts, understanding and using money and number concepts. Social skills are useful in the creation of interpersonal relationships and conflict resolution. Practical skills are important for daily survival. The degree of limitations varies among different people depending on the severity of the disability.

Classification of the condition into different categories helps in formulating the appropriate plan of management. In assessing the severity, it is also important to consider other factors such as the community environment. The limitations identified must be below what is expected of the surrounding community. This includes linguistic diversity and behavioural patterns.

It has been shown through research that a number of measures can be undertaken to reduce the incidence. Ensuring that there is strong social support structure for an expectant mother is one of them. With such a strong structure, cases of malnutrition and abuse are immensely reduced. Premarital genetic counselling has also been shown to be useful as it gives potential couples an opportunity to undergo screening.

Intellectual disability is said to be the most common form of developmental disabilities all over the world. The limitation presents a huge challenge to both the affected children and their parents. When timely intervention is instituted, the affected persons can be trained to lead near normal lives. It should be noted that this condition is not a disease or a mental illness.




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