Intellectual Disability: Definition And Types

Intellectual disability means that a person’s cognitive resources are less developed compared to people his or her age on average. It makes learning much more difficult, and in certain contexts, communicating requires more work. This type of disability is usually identified before a person turns 18 and affects 1 percent of the world’s population.

But it is important to note that intellectual disability is not a mental disorder but a developmental disorder. All people with such a disability are essentially like others: they have their own dreams, interests, tastes, and preferences. We must not stigmatize the disturbance. What better way to avoid stigmas than to learn more about it!

Intellectual Disability: Action and Adaptive Behavior

There are varying degrees of intellectual disability, and each of these has its own difficulties. It causes problems with reasoning, planning, problem solving, abstract thinking, and learning due to the slow and imperfect development of cognitive skills.

Their adaptability can also be very limited at conceptual, social and practical levels. Thus, their ability to express themselves linguistically, or their reading and writing skills, are poorly developed, as are their sense of responsibility and self-esteem.

In daily activities such as tidying up and cooking, the level of independence depends on the severity of the injury.

Effects on health and social interaction

Intellectual disability can be associated with certain changes in an individual’s physical and mental health.  These in turn can affect other aspects of well-being.

Some syndromes that may be associated with intellectual disability include: Rett Syndrome, Dravet Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Asperger Syndrome, and Sensitive X Syndrome (Martin-Bell). Diseases such as obesity, diabetes, HIV, STDs and dementia are also more likely.

In addition, individual communication, interaction, and social participation may become more difficult. Their intellectual and adaptive limitations make normal participation in community life impossible. It affects all environments: home, school, work and leisure.

The role of the IQ

The IQ alone is not enough to diagnose intellectual disability. Quantifying intelligence with the IQ is necessary to better assess a person’s mental performance.

The IQ is the ratio between a person’s mental age and chronological age. The first age corresponds to mental development: how he performs intellectually compared to the average. The chronological age is the same as the biological age.

If the IQ is less than 70, an intellectual disability can be identified.  The other extreme, talent, is diagnosed when it is over 130. The IQ also classifies the degree of mental disability.

Intellectual disability: types

According to DSM 5, the classifications of intellectual disability are: mild, moderate, severe, and deep.

Mild (ÄO between 50-55 – 70)

85% of people with intellectual disabilities have a mild disability.

• Conceptual area : Slightly affects abstract thinking, functional abilities, cognitive flexibility, and short-term memory.
• Social area : Immature social interaction that puts them at risk for manipulation.
• Practical area : The need to provide supervision, guidance and assistance in the performance of daily tasks. This help is very important especially in stressful situations.

• In childhood, they often look the same as normal children who do not have this defect until they are older.

Moderate (ÄÖ between 35-40 – 50-55)

10% have a moderate disability.

• Conceptual area : Requires constant assistance in carrying out daily activities. Sometimes it is even necessary for other people to take part in their responsibilities. With moderate supervision, they can learn skills related to their own personal care. They can do easy jobs, but always under supervision.
• Social Area : When communicating orally, their language is less rich and complex than those without disabilities. This means that they do not know how to interpret certain social subtleties correctly and that they have problems forming new relationships.

• Practical area : With support and continuous teaching, they can develop certain skills and abilities.

Severe (ÄO 20-25 – 35-40)

3-4% of people with intellectual disabilities have a severe disability.

• Conceptual area : Very limited, especially in terms of numerical concepts. They need ongoing support in many areas.
• Social area : Their oral language is very rudimentary, the sentences are grammatically simple and they have a limited vocabulary. They communicate very simply and are limited to the present.
• Practical area : Requires constant monitoring of all day-to-day tasks.

Deep (ÄO 20-25)

They are in the minority (1-2%), and most of these cases are related to an identified neurological disease.

• Conceptual area : Clearly affected. They think only of the physical world and non-symbolic processes. Teaching allows them to learn certain skills, such as pointing at objects. Motor and sensory difficulties often prevent the functional use of objects.
• Social area : Unclear understanding of verbal and gesture-related communication. They express themselves in a very simple and mostly wordless way.
• Practical area : They are completely dependent on all areas. Only if they do not have motor or sensory impairments can they participate in certain basic functions.

We need public support if we want to create an easier environment for the mentally handicapped. Otherwise, environmental constraints only increase their constraints.

In any case, we must never forget that a person is always more important than his or her disability.  A person with an intellectual disability has feelings, dreams, and something to give, just like we do.