Intellectual Disability

Intellectual Disability

• significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills

Onset

• before age 18

• males are affected 1.5x

Etiology

• genetics

  • Fragile X, Down syndrome, Tay-Sachs, MD

• environmental

  • maternal infection, head injuries, near drowning, fetal alcohol syndrome

• birth defects

  • hydrocephaly, spina bifida, CP, epilepsy, low birth weight

Levels of ID

• mild

• mod

• severe

• profound

Domains of Function

• conceptual

  • language, academic skills

• social

  • relationships

• practical

  • personal care, transportation, meals, banking

• *capacity for each of these areas lessens with greater severity

Signs + Symptoms

• often occurs in tandem with other diagnoses

• IQ tends to be 2 standard deviations below the mean on standardized tests

• significant limitations in adaptive skills

  • communication, self-care, household management, social skills, work, leisure, safety

Med Management

• used not for ID itself, but for other conditions associated with the ID

  • psychiatric meds: to manage depression, anxiety, and behavior problems

  • seizure management in some cases

Prognosis

• depends on cause and whether individual has co-morbid conditions

• sometimes it is progressive, most time NOT progressive

• life long condition

  • profound levels of severity = shorter life span

Phenylketonuria

• genetic disorder causing an increased blood level of phenyalanine

Phenylketonuria Symptoms

• ID

• seizures

• behavioral concerns

• small head size

• psychiatric illness

• heart defects

• eczema

Tay-Sachs

progressive genetic disorder caused by absence of a vital enzyme (HEX-A)

Tay-Sachs Symptoms

• progressive decline in gross motor, fine motor, and cognitive skills

• seizures

• mortality approx age 5

Tuberous Sclerosis

• rare, multi-system genetic disease that causes benign tumors to grow in the brain and other vital organs

• affects CNS resulting in seizures, developmental delay, behavioral abnormalities, skin abnormalities

  • prog depends on severity

Fragile X

result of a mutation at what is known as the fragile site on the X chromosome

Fragile X Symptoms

• ID

• impaired language development

• impaired attention

• physically: long and narrow face, large ears, prominent jaw and forehead, unusually flexible fingers, flat feet

Down Syndrome

• extra genetic material from chromosome 21

• symptoms; ID, developmental delays

• Physical: flattened face, small head, protruding tongue, upward slanting eyes, poor muscle tone

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

• caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy

• Signs

  • hyperactivity, ID, impaired language, learning problems, delayed motor skills, coordination, balance