Intellectual disability is defined by the problems of the intellectual functions with problem solving, reasoning or learning and affecting their adaptive behavior such as social skills in their everyday life. There are several types of intellectual disabilities that can affect the individual’s ability to communicate and learn new things. This can develop as the result of genetic conditions, during pregnancy, various illness or environmental factors. Intellectual disability can either be mild or severe depending on the underlying cause. Some of the conditions that present intellectual disability include cerebral palsy, down syndrome, fragile X-syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder and fetal alcohol syndrome.
Cerebral palsy
This is the disorder of the movement that mostly develops before the birth of the infant. The symptoms of this condition vary among the affected cases with some able to walk while others cannot and some exhibiting near-normal intellectual abilities. Some of the common symptoms include stiff muscles, the problem with muscle coordination, involuntary movements, difficulty walking, seizures and intellectual disabilities. This condition develops as the result of disruption in the brain development before the birth. Some of the factors that are associated with this include infant infections that cause inflammation around the brain, lack of oxygen to the brain during delivery, maternal infections affecting the developing fetus, fetal stroke and genetic mutation that causes the abnormal brain development. The treatment is based the coordinated efforts of various specialists such as a pediatric neurologist, speech-language therapist, developmental therapist, mental health specialist and occupational therapist.
Fragile X syndrome
This condition causes various developmental problems such as cognitive impairment and learning disabilities. The males are more severely affected by this condition and present mild to moderate intellectual disability. It is estimated that around one-third of these individuals have autism spectrum disorders. In addition, other features of this condition include a narrow face, prominent jaw, flat feet and enlarged testicles. This develops as the result of a mutation in the gene FMR1. There is no cure for this syndrome but various medications can help with the management of the symptoms along with special education and therapies.
Down syndrome
This occurs as the result of the extra chromosome that causes the delayed normal development, both mentally and physically. There are three types of down syndrome known as trisomy 21, translocation and mosaicism. Some of the common signs of this condition include the small stature, reduced muscle tone and a small mouth. The developmental delays include slow learning skills such as standing, sitting and talking. The behavior issues can include obsessive behavior, tantrums and attention problems. The down syndrome can be identified by the diagnostic test before the birth of the infant with amniocentesis that is usually done in the second trimester. There isn’t a single treatment for down syndrome and is based on the intellectual and physical need of the affected individual.
References
http://www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Clinical-Topics/Intellectual-Disability/
http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/mental-retardation.html?WT.ac=ctg#
http://www.hwns.com.au/Resource-centre/Types-of-disabilities/intellectual-disability
https://www.fraxa.org/fragile-x-syndrome/
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Downs-syndrome/Pages/Treatment.aspx
