Intellectual Disabilities
Intellectual Disability
Intellectual disability is a term used when there are limits to a person’s ability to learn at an expected level and function daily. Levels of intellectual disability vary greatly in children. Children with intellectual disabilities might have a hard time letting others know their wants and needs and taking care of themselves. Intellectual disability could cause a child to learn and develop more slowly than other children of the same age. It could take longer for a child with intellectual disability to learn to speak, walk, dress, eat without help, and have trouble learning in school.
Intellectual disability can be caused by injury, disease, or a brain problem before a child turns 18 years old – even before birth. Other causes of intellectual disability do not occur until a child is older; these might include serious head injury, stroke, or certain infections.
About Disorder
Screening and Diagnosis
There are many signs of intellectual disability. For example, children with intellectual disability may:
- Sit up, crawl, or walk later than other children
- Learn to talk later, or have trouble speaking
- Find it hard to remember things
- Have difficulty understanding social rules
- Have trouble seeing the results of their actions
- Have trouble solving problems
Talk with your child’s doctor or nurse. If you or your doctor think there could be a problem, you can take your child to see a developmental pediatrician or other specialist.
Contact us now to learn more about screening and diagnosis.
Screening and Diagnosis
Treatment
Care for intellectual disabilities could include doctors, social workers, speech therapists, psychologists, teachers, etc., which means a full array of services is available.
Contact us now to learn more about treatment.
