What is intellectual disability?
Once known as mental retardation, the measurement of intellectual disability is an IQ of below 70.
The term should not be used to describe anyone below the age of 5 years old.
Intellectual disability converts the intellectual ability and functioning of an individual as well as what is known as their adaptive behavior- the ability to handle everyday personal and social skills. Individuals with intellectual disabilities may take longer to learn certain skills, or may not manage to learn others.
There are types of the feature- from mild to severe. It is one of the most common disabilities in the US, with over 6.5 million people currently diagnosed with intellectual disability.
Understanding development-related symptoms and features
Symptoms may affect multiple parts of the body. Understanding which part of the body a symptom affects, can help us to better understand the potential underlying causes of a symptom, including a rare disease or genetic syndrome.
Developmental symptoms may affect different parts of an individual’s development. These include their emotional and social development, their physical development, as well as their cognitive and communication skills.
Developmental milestones help to track a child’s developmental progress and flag under delay. A delay may be isolated or accompanied by other developmental delays either in the same area and/or in other areas too.
Symptoms relating to development may be many and wide-ranging. They can include a walking delay, issues with speech and language including late talking, trouble socializing with others or with showing emotion.
What should I do next?
In some instances intellectual disability may be one of the features of a rare disease or genetic syndrome. To find out if someone with Intellectual Disability, may be due to a genetic syndrome, it is important to have a consultation and evaluation with a clinical genetic specialist. Specialists may also suggest specific genetic testing or other types of tests to help reach a diagnosis. FDNA’s AI technology can help speed up the diagnostic process by analyzing facial features and other health information.