Intellectual disability, initially known as mental retardation, refers to impairment in brain development resulting in intelligence that is below average. This means affected people find great difficulty in handling tasks that unaffected persons would otherwise find easily surmountable. For this reason, different intellectual disability services are made available in Portsmouth for affected individuals to better themselves. A variety of terms are used synonymously with intellectual disability. Some of them are general learning disability and intellectual development disorder (IDD).
According to the Diagnostics and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, a diagnosis of IDD is made when at least three factors are present. These persons are generally deficient in general intelligence. There intelligence quotient when measured is below 70. Affected people also present with poor adaptive behavior. Most importantly, the disorder must become apparent in childhood in order to differentiate from other mental illnesses such as dementia.
General learning disability can be said to be either a syndrome or a non syndrome. Downs is one of the disorders involved in the syndromic category. In the non underlying anomalies can be detected. In both, patients present with symptoms that are behavioral in nature. They are unable to look after themselves, they lack the ability to communicate effectively and do not remember events that happened in the recent past.
The causes of intellectual disability are diverse. The most common cause is genetic. Apart from Down syndrome, other genetic conditions involved include Klinefelter syndrome, fragile X, among others. Problems in pregnancy such as alcohol intake or infection with rubella can also result in impaired brain development in the unborn baby. Additional causes include malnutrition, especially in developing countries, exposure to toxins, among others.
The setup of services offered for people with disabilities can take different forms. While some programs provide only day school rehabilitation, some run as a residential area for this people at the same time. Some take the extra step of helping these individuals obtain employment and even take care of their own families.
From the individual, to the caretaker, the community and the medical team, a specific part to play is assigned to each as a contribution towards rehabilitation of persons with IDD. The contribution can be family based, behavioral, psycho social or a combination of the latter two. Psycho-social treatment is initiated early in life before the child enrolls for school as this is the ideal time for a good learning foundation. Children are taught basic skills with repeated rehearsals and celebrated upon achievement.
Language and social skills come in during the behavioral stage of treatment. With the help of a therapist, children are taught using pictures, shapes and other related tools. Some of the skills acquired during this stage especially among older children include sharing, smiling, following instruction and communication. At a higher level, behavioral and psycho-social are combined. At this level, the memory of the individual is challenged by introducing teaching in math, language and so on.
In as much as medical treatment is not the mainstay of management of general learning disorders, they come in handy when complications arise. An example is in autistic children who sometimes may experience uncontrollable behavioral states. Mood stabilizers may be given but close monitoring for any adverse reactions should be done.
According to the Diagnostics and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, a diagnosis of IDD is made when at least three factors are present. These persons are generally deficient in general intelligence. There intelligence quotient when measured is below 70. Affected people also present with poor adaptive behavior. Most importantly, the disorder must become apparent in childhood in order to differentiate from other mental illnesses such as dementia.
General learning disability can be said to be either a syndrome or a non syndrome. Downs is one of the disorders involved in the syndromic category. In the non underlying anomalies can be detected. In both, patients present with symptoms that are behavioral in nature. They are unable to look after themselves, they lack the ability to communicate effectively and do not remember events that happened in the recent past.
The causes of intellectual disability are diverse. The most common cause is genetic. Apart from Down syndrome, other genetic conditions involved include Klinefelter syndrome, fragile X, among others. Problems in pregnancy such as alcohol intake or infection with rubella can also result in impaired brain development in the unborn baby. Additional causes include malnutrition, especially in developing countries, exposure to toxins, among others.
The setup of services offered for people with disabilities can take different forms. While some programs provide only day school rehabilitation, some run as a residential area for this people at the same time. Some take the extra step of helping these individuals obtain employment and even take care of their own families.
From the individual, to the caretaker, the community and the medical team, a specific part to play is assigned to each as a contribution towards rehabilitation of persons with IDD. The contribution can be family based, behavioral, psycho social or a combination of the latter two. Psycho-social treatment is initiated early in life before the child enrolls for school as this is the ideal time for a good learning foundation. Children are taught basic skills with repeated rehearsals and celebrated upon achievement.
Language and social skills come in during the behavioral stage of treatment. With the help of a therapist, children are taught using pictures, shapes and other related tools. Some of the skills acquired during this stage especially among older children include sharing, smiling, following instruction and communication. At a higher level, behavioral and psycho-social are combined. At this level, the memory of the individual is challenged by introducing teaching in math, language and so on.
In as much as medical treatment is not the mainstay of management of general learning disorders, they come in handy when complications arise. An example is in autistic children who sometimes may experience uncontrollable behavioral states. Mood stabilizers may be given but close monitoring for any adverse reactions should be done.
About the Author:
You can visit lucaslodge.com/ for more helpful information about Important Points On Intellectual Disability Services.
No comments:
Post a Comment