What is intellectual disability?

Intellectual disability is the delay in cognitive development of some children, which can be perceived by learning difficulties, poor interaction with others and inability to perform simple and age-appropriate activities.

Intellectual disability, also called DI, is a developmental disorder that affects about 2 to 3% of children and can occur due to a number of situations, from complications during pregnancy or childbirth, to genetic changes, such as Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome, for example.. Find out what the characteristics of fragile X syndrome are.

  • This disorder can be perceived by parents or the teacher at school.
  • However.
  • Treatment should be performed by a multidisciplinary team with the aim of stimulating all cognitive functions.
  • Favoring the learning process and relationships with others.
  • Therefore.
  • It is important that the child receives a direct and constant follow-up by the pediatrician.
  • Speech therapist.
  • Teacher and psychotherapist.
  • For example.

It is possible to identify intellectual disability by observing daily the behavior of the child, who does not normally have the same behavior as other children of the same age, and it is always necessary for an adult or older child to be present to assist in the execution of an action, for example.

Children with developmental disabilities usually have

In addition, your child may have changes in appetite, excessive fear, and may not be able to do activities he or she may have done before.

The most common cause of intellectual disability are genetic changes, such as Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi, Angelman and Williams, for example, all of these syndromes occur as a result of mutations in DNA, which can lead, among other symptoms, to intellectual disability.Other causes of intellectual disability include:

In addition to these causes, intellectual disability can occur as part of innate metabolic errors, which are genetic changes that can occur in a child’s metabolism and lead to the development of certain diseases, such as congenital hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria..

If an intellectual disability diagnosis is made, it is important that the child’s cognitive and intellectual abilities are frequently stimulated and follow-up by a multiprofessional team is important.

At school, for example, it is important that teachers understand the need for student difficulty and develop a specific curriculum for the child, and it is important to keep it integrated and stimulate their contact and interaction with others, which can be done through board games, puzzles and care, for example.This activity, in addition to fostering social contact, allows the child to concentrate, allowing him to learn a little faster.

It is also important for the teacher to respect the child’s learning pace, returning to easier subjects or activities if necessary.During the learning stimulation process, it is interesting that the teacher identifies how the child best assimilates information and content, either visually or auditory stimuli, for example, and then it is possible to establish an educational plan based on the best response of the child.

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