Important Points On Intellectual Disability Services

By Mattie Knight


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).

Three requirements must be met for one to be diagnosed as having intellectual disability. The intelligent quotient is usually below per (between 70 and 75 or below). Intellectual development disorder is also characterised by deficiency in social adaptation. Finally, to separate IDD from other mental disorders, the limitations have to be apparent in childhood.

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.

IDD can be attributed to a number of factors but the most common is genetic derangement as seen in conditions such as Downs, fragile X and Klinefelter syndrome. Malnutrition is a major contributory factor in the African continent due to poverty and lack of awareness. Other global causes include fetal alcohol syndrome, rubella syndrome in a pregnant mother, accidental poisonous substances such as lead, among others.

There are a variety of services available for persons with IDD all over the world. These services aim at equipping affected individuals with the necessary skills required to go through their day to day lives successfully. Whereas some agencies run only during the day, some take it upon themselves to not only offer shelter but also secure the future of these individuals through offering them employment.

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.

The behavioral approach of intervention incorporates attainment of language and social skills. This is done under the guidance of a skills therapist on a one on one basis with other aid of shapes, pictures and other visual aids. Older children also benefit from this treatment since they are able to acquire skills such as smiling, sharing, communicating and even obeying instructions. An advanced form assistance takes into account both psycho-social and behavioral treatments. Children are taught language, math and other academic units that require them to exercise their ability to learn and remember.

Medical professionals can be involved in specific cases such as autism. Sometimes autistic children may go through a phase of intense behavioral changes that require medical intervention. Usually, they are given anti-psychotics or drugs to stabilize their mood. However, this medication should be taken with caution to avoid serious side effects.




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