Intellectual disability is a developmental disorder that causes the individual to have a cognitive and behavioral level far below what is expected for their age chronological.
People with intellectual deficits have limitations in their mental abilities. As a rule, they have difficulty understanding abstract ideas, solving problems, understanding and obeying rules, establishing social relationships and performing daily activities, for example.
At causes that lead to intellectual deficit are varied. However, genetic factors are often the main culprits for this condition. Other factors that also contribute to mental deficiency are perinatal in nature, that is, complications during the baby's pregnancy, such as fetal malformation, for example.
There is no cure for intellectual disability, however, some treatments can help improve the quality of life of patients with mental deficit. Special education and behavioral therapy are some of the options to improve a person's life.
Individuals with intellectual disabilities must be evaluated and accompanied by psychological and pedagogical support. In some cases, it is also important to seek speech therapy and medical assistance, as other disorders or diseases may be associated with mental disability.
Learn more about Intelligence.
Characteristics of intellectual disability
People with intellectual disabilities usually have the following characteristics, at different levels:
- Difficulty in reasoning and understanding;
- Compromised social skills;
- Limitations in language-related skills (reading, writing, memory, reasoning, etc.);
- Difficulties in adapting to social environments;
- It takes longer to learn;
- They do not understand some everyday situations (they are naive);
- They cannot understand signs or situations that were expected for their age;
- They are very dependent;
- They are at high risk for epileptic seizures and severe learning problems.
Some of the main types of intellectual disability are: Down syndrome; the Fragile-X; of Prader-Willi; from Angelman; and Williams.
See also the meaning of PwD.