Intellectual Disability

Intellectual disability is a neurodevelopmental disorder in children that predisposes them to serious health problems and occurs in all countries. The disability produces impairment in children’s physical and mental functioning. Children with these disabilities experience challenges for learning and adaptive behavior. They usually need professional services and treatment. Many parents and educators lack the requisite skills to facilitate the success of these children. A disability need not be an obstacle to a child’s success.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5) children with intellectual disability have deficits in reasoning, problem-solving, planning, abstract thinking, judgment, academic learning, and learning from experience. These deficits produce deficiencies of adaptive functioning - meaning that a child with an intellectual disability is unable to master criteria of personal independence and shared responsibility in one or more aspects of daily life. This includes; communication, group participation, academic or occupational functioning, and personal inde­pendence at home or in other environs.

The causes of intellectual disability can be accredited to genetic, prenatal, and environmental factors. Often times parents feel hopeless and embarrass when they suspect that their child may have the disability. Some are also in denial and expects the child to function normally. When parents are uncertain that their child has an intellectual disability they should, as soon as possible, seek the assistance of a mental health professional who has received training to diagnose and treat the disability. These children have the right to receive full social inclusion.