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Intellectual disability in children can be difficult to detect, with symptoms appearing gradually or suddenly. Early signs include delays in crawling, walking, and speech. The degree of disability varies, with mild cases often requiring an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and severe cases requiring constant supervision and care.
It is not always easy to detect signs of intellectual disability in children. Symptoms can come on gradually as the child develops or appear suddenly as a child gets older. An intellectual disability in children is typically characterized by below average scores on intelligence tests and a limited ability to perform everyday tasks such as self-care, communication and social integration. The degree of disability varies in the population and is classified as mild, moderate, severe or profound.
Early signs of intellectual disability in children include delays in crawling, rolling and walking. Some children also show early delays in acquiring speech and communication skills. As they grow and develop, affected children may be slow to learn to feed or dress themselves and may have difficulty remembering simple details. Children who consistently engage in challenging behaviors and appear to lack basic problem solving skills or logical thinking may also have an intellectual disability.
A mild degree of disability may be the most difficult to detect due to the child’s seemingly normal acquisition of developmental milestones. The common signs of mild retardation usually manifest in the areas of learning and intelligence. Children at this level often score 50-70 on intelligence tests, but are slow academic learners and may require an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or similar program in school. They may also show signs of a delay in achieving age-appropriate problem-solving skills. Mildly disabled children can usually achieve normal social integration as well as the ability to perform self-care tasks that are related to their daily living needs.
Children with moderate intellectual disability show signs in all areas of development and intelligence. They show significant delays in learning, communication, and language, and usually score 35-49 on intelligence tests. Children who have this degree of disability usually require an IEP to meet their educational needs. Some moderately disabled children may also show physical signs of their disorder, such as walking delays and the slow development of fine or gross motor skills. Moderately disabled children are usually able to conform socially with guidance from caregivers or teachers.
Severe and profound intellectual disabilities in children have a wide range of signs evident in all areas of development. Typically, children at this stage experience significant delays in learning to walk, communicate, and perform even simple tasks related to self-care and normal daily living. Patients who have severe disability have poor language and communication skills, but may respond to simple instructions. Deeply affected children usually lack communication skills and may show signs of congenital anomalies. Profound intellectual disability in children requires constant supervision and around-the-clock care, but those with a severe degree of disability may be able to learn simple self-care tasks.
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