WHAT IS INTELLECTUAL

DISABILITY?

Someone with intellectual disability has limitations in

two areas. These areas are:

•Intellectual Functioning
•Adaptive Behaviors
 CAUSES OF
INTELLECTUAL
DISABILITY
 Genetic Conditions

These include things like

Down syndrome and
fragile X syndrome.
 DOWN SYNDROME
• Most common
chromosomal
abnormality
• Distinctive physical
characteristics
• Generally mild to
moderate
intellectual disabilty
 FRAGILE X SYNDROME
• Fragile X syndrome is a genetic condition that causes a range
of developmental problems including learning disabilities and
cognitive impairment. Usually, males are more severely
affected by this disorder than females.
• Affected individuals usually have delayed development of
speech and language by age 2. Most males with fragile X
syndrome have mild to moderate intellectual disability, while
about one-third of affected females are intellectually disabled.
Some children with fragile X also
have changes to their face and
body that can include:
 A large head
 A long, narrow face
 Large ears
 A large forehead and chin
 Loose joints
 Flat feet
 Enlarged testicles (after
puberty)
 Problems during pregnancy

Things that can interfere with fetal brain

development include alcohol or drug use,
malnutrition, certain infections, or
preeclampsia.
 PREECLAMPSIA
• Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication
characterized by high blood pressure and signs
of damage to another organ system, most often
the liver and kidneys.
• Preeclampsia usually begins after 20 weeks of
pregnancy in women whose blood pressure had
been normal.
 Problems during childbirth

Intellectual disability may result if a baby

is deprived of oxygen during childbirth or
born extremely premature.
 Illness or injury
Infections like meningitis, whooping cough, or the
measles can lead to intellectual disability. Severe
head injury, near-drowning, extreme malnutrition,
infections in the brain, exposure to toxic substances
such as lead, and severe neglect or abuse can also cause
it.
 MENINGITIS
• Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes
(meninges) surrounding your brain and spinal cord.

• Bacterial meningitis is serious, and can be fatal

within days without prompt antibiotic treatment.
Delayed treatment increases the risk of permanent
brain damage or death.
 WHOOPING COUGH
Whooping cough (pertussis)
is a highly contagious
respiratory tract infection. In
many people, it's marked by
a severe hacking cough
followed by a high-pitched
intake of breath that sounds
like "whoop."
 MEASLES
Also called rubeola, measles can be
serious and even fatal for small
children. While death rates have
been falling worldwide as more
children receive the measles
vaccine, the disease still kills more
than 100,000 people a year, most
under the age of 5.
 HEAD INJURY
Traumatic brain injury
usually results from a
violent blow or jolt to the
head or body. An object that
penetrates brain tissue, such
as a bullet or shattered
piece of skull, also can cause
traumatic brain injury.
 None of the above

In two-thirds of all children who have

intellectual disability, the cause is
unknown.
 CHARATERISTICS OF PEOPLE
WITH ID
1. General Cognition
2. Learning and Memory
3. Attention
4. Adaptive Skills
5. Self-Regulation
6. Speech and Languange
7. Motivation
8. Academic Achievement