Intellectual Disability

ID is where the child has intellectual functioning (IQ) less than 70. The individual should have delays in two or more adaptive areas: Self care and Communication.

In India 10 out of 1000 children are found to be affected with intellectual disability because of either prenatal causes like Maternal infections of rubella, Toxoplasma etc., Prenatal use of toxic substances like ethanol, carbon monoxide exposure and Genetic disorders, Chromosomal aberrations: e.g. Down’s syndrome, Prader Willi syndrome, Cri-du-chat syndrome. The perinatal causes includes Infections e.g. Herpes simplex virus 2, Mechanical injury during birth and perinatal hypoxia. Some of the postnatal causes for intellectual disability include Infections: bacterial and viral infections of the brain during childhood like meningitis or encephalitis, Toxic substances: e.g. exposure to lead and other causes: hypothyroidism, dietary deficiencies, brain tumors.

The prognosis for children with intellectual disability has been improved over the years & such children are mainstreamed whenever feasible and are taught survival skills. Children with such conditions will be receiving some kind of early intervention, social skill trainings, adaptive skill trainings and communication skills by a trained and certified clinical psychologist in our center.