Everything you should know about Intellectual Disability

Once called as the mental retardation, Intellectual disability is usually characterized by below-average intelligence the person goes through. This could be quite embarrassing for many because the person might get abolished. It’s not that they cannot learn new things, but the learning process is quite slow as compared to others.

What is Intellectual Disability?

According to Dr. Vipul Tyagi, the leading psychiatrist in Indirapuram, intellectual disability can be defined in two areas-

1.       Intellectual Functioning- Also known as IQ, this area refers to learning, reasoning and making decision. The person may find hard in performing these activities.

2.       Adaptive Behaviors- Not able to communicate effectively, interact with others, and taking care of oneself are some of signs of adaptive behaviors.

The average IQ is 100, and majority of people score is around 85. If the person scores less than 75, then he is certainly suffering from Intellectual disability.

In kids, specialist will observe their skills and compare with others of same age. If there is a large difference among them, then the respective kid is facing with intellectual disability.

Intellectual disability is defined by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. There are terms which are used to define intellectual disabilities like- mental retardation, abnormal or subnormal. Intellectual disability is not a mental illness.

Symptoms of Intellectual Disability-

A person with intellectual disability is quite different from other in terms of learning and thinking. Different people show different symptoms of this mental issue. Some of the symptoms of intellectual disability are-

●        Difficulties at the conceptual level- The person may find hard in understanding certain concepts, especially academic level. He/she will find hard in involving memory, attention, language, etc.

●        Difficulty in socializing- The person may find hard in socializing. He/she will have having awareness in feelings, empathy and skills for interpersonal communication.

●        A difficulty in Practical Domain- This is related to the degree of learning and person's self-sufficient skills including task organization, personal care, etc.

Advice for parents and individuals facing intellectual disability-

If your kid or any of your friend is facing intellectual disability, then here are few advices to follow-

●        If you see any symptoms which is unusual than normal, it is important to bring this into notice of the doctor. Seek professional help to know what exactly the problem is and how to overcome the issue.

●        If you witness intellectual disability thing symptoms like guilt, sadness, and others, give yourself a time and take steps to resolve and accept the situation. You can seek help from parents and professional doctor for the same. Dr. Vipul Tyagi is one such professional who can assist in bringing down the issue.

●        Look for therapies that can work on bringing confidence on the respective person. These therapies are designed to overcome the fear and increase the ability of understanding.