Intellectual disability is a condition, which develops at birth time or in the early infancy stages. In this state, the child is unable to perform various mental functions normally like communicating with other people, socializing and looking after himself. If such children are compared to other children, it is evident that these special children learn and grasp things at a much slower pace than the others. These children also have problems with basic activities like eating, dressing up, talking, walking etc. there are a variety of causes that lead to these kind of disabilities in children. In case of disabilities, similar to fragile X syndrome or the Down syndrome, there is an abnormality in the genes, which the child has inherited from his parents. Intellectual disabilities can also be a result of complications during pregnancy. A woman, who smokes, drinks or has had a rubella infection during her pregnancy, can have a child with such abnormality. Another reason for such problems is having difficulties at birth like the lack of oxygen.
When these children with intellectual disabilities are put to school, they find it difficult to learn what is taught to them. Even if they end up learning, the time required to teach them is substantially more than that taken to teach other children. It is hence, advised that as soon as parents become aware of their child’s disability, they should put the child in a school for special people. The faculty in these schools is trained to teach students with intellectual disability and the company of other children undergoing the same problems makes the child feel comfortable.
It is to be noted that these problems faced by children are not due to a disease that they caught from someone else. Such disabilities cannot be passed on from one person to another. They are a result of serious problems during the birth of the baby. Intellectual disability is not caused due to any kind of depression or mental sickness. Unfortunately, no child with this kind of disability can be cured completely but that does not mean that these children cannot do well for themselves in life. There are a lot of children with intellectual disability who grow up to be successful in what they do. Statistically, 3 out of every 100 people have this defect and this condition is prevalent all over the world. In a lot of cases, special children have learning abilities that are just a little lower than that of an average child. The children with intellectual disability are more vulnerable to depression and poor self-image. In such cases, parents and teachers can help the children overcome their disability and make efforts to lead a happy life. Parents should involve the children in household chores and encourage active interactions.