The developmental disabilities consist of a variety of conditions as the result of cognitive and physical impairments. The disability can be present at the birth or can develop before the age of 18 years. It affects the individual’s ability to learn which in some cases can be permanent requiring assistance with their daily activities. The developmental milestones include the ability of children to develop the first-step skills that can include crawling, walking and waving bye-bye. These developmental milestones are indicative markers of changes that are expected as they get older. If the child is unable to reach the certain milestones of their age, it is important to discuss this with health care provider. Early identification of a child’s developmental delays is essential for appropriate intervention that can impact the child’s way of learning new skills. It is estimated that around 17% of children under the age of 18 have been affected in the United States. One of the common types of developmental disability is the intellectual disability and the second common developmental disorder is cerebral palsy followed by autism spectrum disorder. Other types of developmental disabilities can include ADHD, hearing loss, learning disability and vision impairment.
Causes
Developmental disability can affect an individual at any time and can be permanent. There are hundreds of causes for intellectual disabilities that have been identified, although one-third of the cause often remains unknown. Most problems associated with developmental delays are the result of various combinations of factors that can include genetics, prenatal health, infections during pregnancy, complications with the birth and the exposure to toxic materials. One of the common causes of intellectual disability is the fetal alcohol syndrome along with genetic and chromosomal condition such as fragile X syndrome and down syndrome. Additional risk factors could include having a sibling with the disability, premature birth and low birth weight.
Signs
Some of the signs of intellectual and developmental disabilities can include delayed activity with crawling, sitting up or walking, exhibiting difficulty talking, finding it hard to remember things, trouble with solving problems and difficulty with understanding the rules of social behavior. Individuals with intellectual disabilities can experience problems in activities such as mobility, learning, language and self-help and are generally identified when they enter the school. However, several of the individuals who are intellectually disabled can lead independent lives with early intervention, functional education and appropriate supports.
Diagnosis
Developmental delays are diagnosed based on developmental screening and developmental monitoring. The developmental screening involves the physician examining the child by the way they learn, behave, talk and move. In the case the child is suspected of developmental delays, they are usually referred for developmental evaluation. This includes the assessment of the child’s skills involving various professionals such as a pediatric neurologist and developmental psychologist. The intellectual disability is assessed by a range of scores on an intelligence quotient (IQ) test where severe cases present lower IQ scores.
Treatment
Most of the intellectual and developmental disabilities do not have a cure but treatment is based on the symptoms. Early intervention is essential and can also include the treatment of the underlying cause of developmental delays. Individuals with down syndrome, fragile X syndrome can benefit from speech therapy, occupational therapy and exercises to improve their motor skills. Special education can be useful to guide the individual’s school experiences. Those presenting additional disabilities may require surgical intervention to manage those conditions.
References
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/idds/conditioninfo/Pages/treatment.aspx
https://medlineplus.gov/developmentaldisabilities.html
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/developmentaldisabilities/facts.html
https://www.mayinstitute.org/pdfs/developmental_disabilities_fact_sheet.pdf
