Understanding Persons with Intellectual Disabilities 1

Understanding Persons with Intellectual Disabilities: Definition, Characteristics and Causes of Severe Disabilities, Mental Retardation, Traumatic Brain Injury, Autism and Deaf-Blindness

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Understanding Persons With Intellectual Disabilities 1

Having anintellectual disability is an issue that can cause a lot of stress on a person who is diagnosed, both mentally and physically, as well as his or her caretakers. To better deal with the conditions, it is imperative that they know what to look for when dealing with an intellectually disabled person.

Some types of these disabilities, known as severe disabilities can make the going even tougher for everyone involved. Mental retardation, traumatic brain injuries, autism and deaf-blindness are a few conditions that can render a person severely disabled. There are many characteristics that can point to severe disabilities, such as low IQ, slow motor skill performance, inability to interact effectively with others and difficulty or inability to learn in a normal environment.

The causes of severe disabilities also span a broad range. They can be anything from hereditary to severe injuries during any point in a person’s life. This paper will outline some of the characteristics and causes of mental retardation, traumatic brain injuries, autism and deaf-blindness.

Mental Retardation

Mental retardation is a disability that limits a person in two areas: intelligence and adaptive behavior. Specifically, mental retardation is defined as a “disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. This disability originates before the age of 18.”

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While mental retardation is a complex condition to understand, it is important to remember that it “refers to a particular state of functioning that begins in childhood, has many dimensions and is affected positively by individualized supports.”

In determining whether or not a person has mental retardation, the person giving the diagnosis must:

1. Evaluate limitations in present functioning within the context of the individual’s age peers and culture;

2. Take into account the individual’s cultural and linguistic differences as well as communication, sensory, motor, and behavioral factors;

3. Recognize that within an individual’s limitations often coexist with strengths;

4. Describe limitations so that an individualized plan of needed supports can be developed; and

5. Provide appropriate personalized supports to improve the functioning of a person with mental retardation.

There are a few characteristics one can point to in diagnosing an individual with mental retardation. First, the individual’s IQ score is usually 70 or below. Those with more severe cases are likely to also have brain damage. Brain damage can be associated with other physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

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The range of causes for mental retardation is very broad. For milder cases, heredity and early environment can lead to the condition. If a person’s parents were of below average intelligence, it is possible this could have led to the mental retardation of the child. Also, if the child’s environment lacks linguistic or intellectually stimulating experiences, slight mental retardation becomes more possible.

For those with more serious cases, there can be more identifiable causes. Chromosomal abnormalities or metabolic disorders are possible causes because these conditions can cause injury to the brain or central nervous system (Hourcade).

Traumatic Brain Injuries

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), traumatic brain injury (TBI) is described as “an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Traumatic brain injury applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. Traumatic brain injury does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma.”

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There are many possible characteristics of TBI that can be categorized three different ways:

1. Physical and Sensory Changes. These can include chronic headaches, light-headedness, dizziness, nausea, vision and hearing impairments, recurrent seizures, sleep problems, reduced speed of motor performance and precision of movement.
2. Cognitive Changes and Academic Problems. These can involve difficulty concentrating, keeping up with discussions, planning, organizing, following instructions, perceiving non-verbal cues or reading comprehension.
3. Social, Emotional and Behavioral Problems. These can be characterized by things such as becoming easily agitated, increased aggressiveness, poor coping strategies, reduced judgment or speaking compulsively or excessively.

There can be many causes of TBI but there are two categories these causes can fall under.

The first is an open head injury. In this case the skull is penetrated by some object and contact is made with the brain. If not fatal, they can often result in specific characteristics noted above.

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The most common type of injury that can cause TBI is a closed head injury. In these cases, the brain slams against the inside of the cranium but no external objects penetrate the skull. According to the textbook, “The stress of this rapid movement and impact pulls apart and tears nerve fibers, or axons, breaking connections between different parts of the brain.” Car accidents, falls and sports injuries are common causes of closed head injuries (Heward).

Autism

According to Dr. Stephen Edelson of the Center for the Study of Autism in Salem, Oregon, the most cited statistic showing the prevalence of autism says that about 4.5 of every 10,000 children born have the condition (Edelson).

An autistic disorder is “a pervasive developmental disorder marked by three defining features with onset before age 3:(a) impairment of social interaction; (b) impairment of communication; and (c) restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of

behavior, interests, and activities (Heward).”

Children with autism can show a few different signs. As infants, they may pull back when others try to hold them close to avoid physical contact. They will also not appear to be able to anticipate being picked up, and become limp when a caregiver tries. When it comes to their demeanor, they can also be at one end of the spectrum or the other: either very quiet and undemanding of parents or very easily agitated.

As they get older, their development may begin to fall behind that of their peers, usually after the first 1 ½ to 3 years. Further in life they may develop an insistence on specific routines. Deviating from these routines can result in tantrums.

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Finding a cause for autism has proven difficult, but there is evidence that the condition can be caused by genetic influences and that a virus can also lead to it. Rubella, cytomegalovirus and the measles component of the MMR vaccine have been linked to the disorder. Of late, there has been growing concern that air pollution can also lead to autism (Edelson).

Deaf-blindness

The IDEA defines deaf-blindness as “concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness.”

In most cases, individuals with deaf-blindness have some hearing or vision capabilities, but the combined impact of the impairments of the ears and eyes severely impede the ability of the person in his or her ability to learn communication and social skills.

People with vision impairments must rely on their hearing to take instruction and to help them in everyday life. When both eyesight and hearing are impaired, performing day-to-day activities becomes that much harder (Heward).

According to the National Consortium on deaf-blindness, there can be many causes of the condition. Prematurity, childbirth complications, and numerous congenital syndromes, many of which are quite rare can lead to the disability. Deaf blindness may also occur later in childhood or during adulthood due to causes such as meningitis, brain injury, or inherited conditions (Malloy).

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Children with a severe disability deserve a chance at proper care and education as everyone else does, but providing these things can pose a major challenge to parents, teachers and other caregivers. Knowing the characteristics of severe disabilities and what may have caused them can help caretakers and families better care for a loved one with such a condition.

References

American Association on Inellectual and Developmental Diabilities. (2002). Frequently

Asked Questions About Mental Retardation [Brochure]. Washington, DC.

Edelson, S. (1999). Overview of Autism. Retrieved from:

overview.html

Heward, W. (2009). Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education(pp. 450-489).Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Hourcade, J. (2002). Mental Retardation: Update 2002. Eric Digest. Retrieved from:

Malloy, P. & Killoran, J. (2007). Children Who are Deaf-Blind. National Consortium on

Deaf-Blindness, 2. Retrieved from:

products/population.pdf