How is intellectual disability diagnosed

Most intellectual disabilities are caused by genetic factors. For example, intellectual disability can happen when a child:. Sometimes intellectual disability is caused by other factors. For example, intellectual disability can happen if a child:.

In the past intellectual disability was called mental retardation in the US. You might see these terms in some publications or websites. Skip to content Skip to navigation. About intellectual disability Children with intellectual disability learn at a slower rate than others.

Intellectual disability varies a lot from child to child. It can range from mild to severe. Therefore, clinical judgment is needed in interpreting the results of IQ tests. Three areas of adaptive functioning are considered:.

Adaptive functioning is assessed through standardized measures with the individual and interviews with others, such as family members, teachers and caregivers.

Intellectual disability is identified as mild most people with intellectual disability are in this category , moderate or severe. The symptoms of intellectual disability begin during childhood.

Delays in language or motor skills may be seen by age two. However, mild levels of intellectual disability may not be identified until school age when a child has difficulty with academics. There are many different causes of intellectual disability. It can be associated with a genetic syndrome, such as Down syndrome or Fragile X syndrome. It may develop following an illness such as meningitis, whooping cough or measles; may result from head trauma during childhood; or may result from exposure to toxins such as lead or mercury.

Other factors that may contribute to intellectual disability include brain malformation, maternal disease and environmental influences alcohol, drugs or other toxins. A variety of labor- and delivery-related events, infection during pregnancy and problems at birth, such as not getting enough oxygen, can also contribute. Intellectual disability is a life-long condition.

However, early and ongoing intervention may improve functioning and enable the person to thrive throughout their lifetime. Underlying medical or genetic conditions and co-occurring conditions frequently add to the compplex lives of people with intellectual disability.

Services for people with intellectual disabilities and their families can provide support to allow full inclusion in the community. Newborn screening relies on testing blood samples taken from newborns while they are still in the hospital to help identify certain serious or life-threatening conditions, including some that lead to IDDs.

Health care providers recommend that certain pregnant women, including those who are older than 35 years of age and those with a family history of certain conditions, have their fetuses tested prenatally, while still in the womb, for conditions that cause IDD. There are two main types of prenatal tests. Amniocentesis is a test that is usually performed to determine whether a fetus has a genetic disorder.

In this test, a doctor takes a small amount of fluid from the womb using a long needle. A laboratory grows the cells and then examines their genetic material for any problems. Some IDDs that can be detected with amniocentesis are Down syndrome and certain types of muscular dystrophy.

Because amniocentesis can cause a miscarriage in about 1 out of cases, it is usually only recommended for pregnancies in which the risk of genetic disorders or other problems is high. This test extracts cells from inside the womb to determine whether the fetus has a genetic disorder.

Using a long needle, the doctor takes cells from the chorionic villi, which are tissues in the placenta, the organ in the womb that nourishes the fetus.