What Is Intellectual Disability?

This classification is given to children with poor IQ, typically in the range of 70-75 or less. They have low adaptive behaviour or daily living skills (eating, dressing, communication and social skills they are slower than their peers in acquiring life skills such as speech development or logic.

Types of Intellectual Disability

Intellectual disability has been stereotyped by movies and television shows. They have made people believe that a mentally disabled person is slow and dim-witted, often ridiculed as the village idiot. In reality, this disability is nuanced with different scales of limitation, and there is room for improvement for those afflicted.

• Mild Intellectual Disability: More than 85% of kids with the disability fall in this category and have no trouble until shortly before high school. With an IQ of around 50-69, they are sometimes unable to grasp abstract concepts but can, by and large, learn at a considerably fast rate and function independently. 
• Moderate Intellectual Disability: Falling under the IQ range of 36-49, they constitute about 10% of the children that are afflicted with intellectual disability. These children can be integrated into society as they can pick up speech and essential life skills; however, their academic performance is likely to be dismal, and they would perform poorly in school. These children can have some amount of autonomy but cannot remain independent for a long duration.
• Severe Intellectual Disability: With an IQ of 20-35, these kids are in a minority of 3-4%. Through extensive training, kids with severe intellectual disability may be able to learn necessary life skills, but because they have an abnormal development, they would need frequent assistance.
• Profound Intellectual Disability: This is the most severe form of disability and is also the rarest, with only 1-2% of mentally challenged children constituting this group. They have IQ less that 20. They are severely handicapped and require extensive supervision due to poor life skills. However, with regular training and setting a routine, they may be able to pick up some essential skills.

Treatment of Intellectual Disability

There is no medical “cure” for intellectual disability. However, there are therapies with the help of which we can enrich the lives of intellectually disabled children and help them live a pleasant childhood. Speech and language therapist can help in development of speech and language skills of such children.