PSYC 345 Intellectual Developmental Disorder.pdf

Intellectual Developmental Disorder

Liberty University

PSYC 345 Exceptional Child

Michele Adkins

June 28, 2021

Intellectual Developmental Disorder

Intellectual developmental disorder is when an individual has a delay in their intellectual

or adaptive functioning. Intellectual function is how an individual learns, problem solves and

the risks are brain malformations, genetic disorders, traumatic brain injury issues related to labor

and delivery, social delays, seizure disorder, infections, and environmental issues. (Child Mind

Institute, 2021) Most brain malformations are defects that are caught during a fetal ultrasound. If

a brain defect is found a team is formed and they determine the course of action to treat the

malformation. Depending on the malformation some can be fixed with little to no defects. Others

have a long-term effect on the individual. One of these long-term effects is delays in the

individual’s intellectual or adaptive functioning (Cohen's Children, 2020). Some disorders like

Albinism, individuals who have little to no color in their hair, skin, and eyes, or Ankylosing

spondylitis, do not cause intellectual disabilities. Many other genetic disorders do cause

intellectual disabilities. One of the many disorders is known as Angelman Syndrome. Angelman

syndrome is a faulty or absence of the UBE3A. Because of the faulty or missing gene, the nerves

in the brain are not able to work properly. This often results in physical and intellectual problems

for individuals with the disorder. As of right now, there is no known cause of Angelman

syndrome, is it caused by chance whenever the individual is conceived. (Health Direct, 2018).

Traumatic brain injury is when the brain has been injured by an external physical force that

results in total or partial impairment. These traumatic brain injuries can cause delays or a

disability academically, socially, or functionally (Capizzi, 2018). Things in an individual’s

and early interventions. Not all disabilities or delays could be prevented, but these are a few

protective factors to help reduce the risks for some form of intellectual developmental disorders.

Etiology

There are four different levels of intellectual developmental disorder, there is mild,

moderate, severe, and profound. Individuals with a severe or profound intellectual developmental

disorders may be diagnosed shortly after they are born. Individuals with the mild or moderate

intellectual developmental disorder until later on when they do not meet developmental

milestones. Some of the causes of intellectual developmental disorders are trauma, inherited

disorders, chromosome abnormalities, poisoning, malnutrition, illnesses, and brain injury.

Trauma could be before or after birth. A few before birth trauma would be an infection or

exposure to alcohol, drugs, or toxins. Trauma during birth would be oxygen deprivation or being

delivered prematurely. Inherited disorders like Tay-Sachs disease or phenylketonuria could also

cause an intellectual developmental disorder. The intellectual developmental disorder is also tied

to chromosome abnormalities such as Down syndrome. Lead or mercury poisoning is an

exposure that can lead to an intellectual developmental disorder. If an individual is severely

malnourished it can lead to them having some delays because of the lack of nutrients getting to

numbers of disorders in third world countries than first world countries. First-world countries

still have a rate of thirty-three to thirty-seven per one thousand. In the United States, the current

prevalence is 9 per one thousand people. It is still difficult to get a good estimate of the

individuals with this disorder because of the different ways countries so their census or even a

lack of a proper census (McConkey et al., 2019). Across the world, the current rate for an

individual having intellectual developmental disorder is one to three percent. The highest

prevalence of this disorder is with children and teenagers. The rate for an individual with the

disorder being labeled as mild is about eighty-four percent of the population. The rate for an

individual with this disorder being labeled as moderate is ten percent, severe is four percent, and

profound is two percent of the population. (Maulik et al., 2011)

Characteristics

Intellectual developmental disorder is a term that is used when an individual has some

limitations in the educational and function levels of their life. In infants some signs of intellectual

developmental disorder are when they sit up, crawl, or walk later than other infants their age.

Toddlers may learn to talk later than their peers or may have speech problems that make it harder

for them to speak. Individuals with this disorder may have difficulties remembering things such

as what they learned in class, or multi-step directions. These individuals may also have some

for Disease Control, 2020).

Prognosis

The prognosis of an individual with intellectual developmental disorder varies for each

individual. Their prognosis depends on how severe their cognitive impairment is and how much

support they have. (Keun, 2019) If the individual lives in a country or area that has doctors,

therapies, and resources their prognosis may look better than an individual who lives in a country

that does not have access to these resources. If the individual has a caregiver that is present and

observant they are more likely to live longer because the caregiver will be able to notice the

signs and symptoms of their loved one getting severely sick. An individual with the severe or

profound intellectual developmental disorder may not have an effective way to communicate

with their caregiver if something is wrong, this can cause a severe illness to progress. This could

cause the individual’s life expectancy to be shorter. Attentive caregivers are more likely to see

the signs that their loved one is hurting and will get them the help needed. Things like accidental

poisoning or overdose could also be a cause of shorter life expectancy. Right now the average

life expectancy of an individual with a mild level of intellectual developmental disorder is

seventy-four. The average life expectancy of an individual with a moderate level is sixty-seven.

The average life expectancy of an individual with a severe level is fifty-eight. The individual’s

with intellectual developmental disorder have speech delays or problems that make it difficult for

them to communicate their needs to others. Another concern is the social delays, individuals with

this disorder have difficulty understanding social rules, not understanding the consequences of

their actions, and more. A big concern is intellectual delays that affect their academic success,

individuals with this disorder may have trouble problem solving, thinking logically, and retaining

information. With the right support, therapies, and resources, many individuals with intellectual

developmental disorder can learn to communicate and learn to the best of their abilities. While

none of these are tools that can eliminate the delays, they can help these individuals be as

successful as possible.

Interventions: Speech and Communication

One resource that can be used to help with speech delays and communication issues is

speech therapy. Speech therapy is a therapy that can be done in a clinic, at school, in the home,

and online. Speech therapy can help with articulation, fluency, receptive, expressive, cognitive-

communication, resonance disorders, and more. Speech therapists can help strengthen muscles in

the face that can cause slow or slurred speech, help make it easier for them to speak and

understand others, and can help form sentences (Santos-Longhurst, 2019). Many speech

therapists also work closely with occupational therapists and other therapists to help their clients

intervention is giving the individual the chance to learn and socialize with their peers who do not

have any social or cognitive delays. By giving them the chance to play with, learn alongside, or

talk to others who are typically developing they get the chance to observe their peers do all of

these things appropriately and then can imitate what they have observed. After a while, they will

retain what they have learned and will be able to use it in their everyday life. Social stories are

another great way to help teach individuals how to handle situations such as attending a party,

communicating with strangers, having appropriate conversations with peers, taking turns, and

more. If the individual is also on the autism spectrum there is a therapy called Applied Behavior

Analysis (ABA). ABA is a therapy that targets behavior, it targets emotional and social

behaviors. It uses simple trials to target certain behaviors and either extinguish or shape them

(LeBlanc, 2021). One of the things they work at is working on social and communication skills.

Academic

Interventions for academics can be started early in life and can last until the individual

turns twenty-one, graduates high school, or no longer needs the services. Early interventions can

start when the individual is a newborn and lasts until they turn three. The early interventionists

focus on the individual’s development. They focus on giving the individual the head start they

need to be successful when I start school at four or five. Once the individual reaches school age

monitor progress and areas of concern. Resource is when the individual is pulled out for a

subject or two, during this time they get a small group setting where the special education

teacher works with them to teach those tools and techniques to learn and retain the materials they

are learning. Once that period is over the individual returns to the general education classroom. A

self-contained classroom is when the individual is in a special education classroom and is

typically separated from the general education classroom. In this class, the special education

teacher is responsible for teaching all the subjects.

Conclusion

Intellectual developmental disorder is when an individual has a delay in their intellectual

or adaptive functioning. Intellectual function is how an individual learns, problem-solves, and

makes judgments. Adaptive functioning is how an individual performs daily life skills such as

communication, eating, and taking care of other family needs. Intellectual developmental

disorder affects one percent of the world’s population. While intellectual developmental disorder

is more prevalent in countries and populations with limited resources, it can affect anyone around

the world. In the United States and other developed countries, there are many resources to help

these individuals communicate, socialize, and learn. Intellectual developmental disorder is a

disorder that current has no known cause or cure, but there has been a lot of research and

References

Bittles, A. H., Petterson, B. A., Sullivan, S. G., Hussain, R., Glasson, E. J., & Montgomery,

P. D. (2002, July 1). Influence of Intellectual Disability on Life Expectancy. OUP

ed3g7CbFvqFVg#v=onepage&q&f=false.

Center for Disease Control. (2020, November 10). Facts About Intellectual Disability. Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention.

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/facts-about-intellectual-disability.html.

Child Mind Institute . (2021, March 19). Intellectual Disability: Risk Factors. Child Mind

Institute. https://childmind.org/guide/intellectual-development-disorder/risk-factors/.

Cohen's Children. (2020). Birth defects and malformations of the brain. Birth defects and

malformations of the brain - Pediatric Neurology | Northwell Health.

https://pediatrics.northwell.edu/departments-services/pediatric-neurology/find-

care/conditions/birth-defects-malformations-of-the-brain.