Intellectual disability corresponds to the delay in the cognitive development of some children, which can be perceived by learning difficulties, little interaction with other people and inability to perform simple and appropriate activities for their age.
Intellectual disability, also called DI, is a developmental disorder that affects about 2 to 3% of children and can happen due to several situations, from complications during pregnancy or childbirth, to genetic changes, such as Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome, for example. Find out what are the characteristics of fragile X syndrome.
This disorder can be perceived by parents or by the teacher at school, however, treatment must be done by a multidisciplinary team with the aim of stimulating all cognitive functions, favoring the learning process and relationships with other people. Thus, it is important that the child has direct and constant monitoring by the pediatrician, speech therapist, pedagogue and psychotherapist, for example.
How to identify
It is possible to identify intellectual disability by observing the child's behavior on a daily basis. Normally, she does not exhibit the same behavior as other children of the same age, and it is always necessary for an adult or older child to be around to assist in the performance of an action, for example.
Usually children with intellectual disabilities have:
- Difficulty in learning and understanding; Difficulty in adapting to any environment; Lack of interest in day-to-day activities; Isolation from family, colleagues or teacher, for example; Difficulty in coordination and concentration.
In addition, it is possible that the child has changes in appetite, excessive fear and is unable to perform activities that he previously could.
Main causes
The most common cause of intellectual disability is genetic changes, such as Down syndrome, fragile X, Prader-Willi, Angelman and Williams, for example. All of these syndromes happen due to mutations in the DNA, which can result, among other symptoms, in intellectual disability. Other causes of intellectual disability are:
- Prenatal complications, which are those that occur during pregnancy, such as malformation of the fetus, gestational diabetes, medication use, smoking, alcoholism, drug use and infections, such as syphilis, rubella and toxoplasmosis; Perinatal complications, which occur from the beginning of labor until the first month of the baby's life, such as decreased oxygen supply to the brain, malnutrition, prematurity, low birth weight and severe newborn jaundice; Malnutrition and severe dehydration, which can happen until the end of adolescence and lead to intellectual disability; Poisoning or intoxication by drugs or heavy metals; Infections during childhood that can lead to neuronal impairment, decreasing cognitive capacity, such as meningitis, for example; Situations that decrease the oxygen supply to the brain, which can result in intellectual disability. Know the main causes of hypoxia in the brain.
In addition to these causes, intellectual disability can happen in innate errors of metabolism, which are genetic changes that can happen in the child's metabolism and lead to the development of some diseases, such as congenital hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria. Better understand what phenylketonuria is.
What to do
If the diagnosis of intellectual disability is made, it is important that the child's cognitive and intellectual capacities are frequently stimulated, and monitoring by a multidisciplinary team is important.
At school, for example, it is important that teachers understand the student's need for difficulty and develop a specific study plan for the child. In addition, it is important to keep it integrated and encourage your contact and interaction with other people, which can be done through board games, puzzles and mime, for example. This activity, in addition to promoting social contact, allows the child to become more concentrated, which makes him learn a little faster.
It is also important that the teacher respects the child's learning pace, returning to easier subjects or activities if necessary. During the process of stimulating learning, it is interesting that the teacher identifies the way that the child assimilates information and content better, whether through visual or auditory stimuli, for example, and then it is possible to establish an education plan based on the best response of child.
