Understanding Intellectual Disability

Intellectual disability is characterised by limitations in intellectual functions such as reasoning, learning, problem-solving and adaptive behaviour, affecting one’s communication, social and practical skills¹.

The Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is typically used to define the level of such limitations. With an IQ level of 70 or below, persons with intellectual disabilities face mild to profound difficulties in performing activities of daily living. Intellectual disability often co-occurs with other medical conditions such as Down syndrome, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cerebral palsy and epilepsy².

Knowing the severity of your loved one’s intellectual disability can help you understand how it impacts their daily living, needs and learning strategies. This will help you develop an appropriate care plan for them.

Characteristics

Common signs of intellectual disability³in the earlier stages of a child’s life include:

• Not meeting developmental milestones such as rolling over, sitting, crawling, walking or speaking.
• Slow mastering of tasks like toileting, dressing, and feeding themselves.

Communicating with a doctor

To better understand your loved one’s needs, here is what you can prepare before meeting a doctor:

Before selecting an appropriate intervention for your loved one, you can seek professional advice on the options available, their costs and implications. Learn more about these interventions, including how assistive technology (AT) can help your loved one. 

Early intervention programmes (such as the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC)) can help young children with intellectual disabilities maximise their developmental growth potential and acquire necessary communication, mobility and social skills. Depending on your loved one’s needs and abilities, they can enrol in either a Special Education (SPED) school or a mainstream primary school from the age of seven.

Interventions may also be costly, so it is important to plan your finances or seek financial aid before making a decision.

As persons with intellectual disabilities are more prone to developing health conditions like diabetes or mental health issues⁵, staying aware of risk factors for these conditions will help you to identify preventive actions to take or understand how to support and maintain your loved one’s health.

Depending on the ability of your loved one, you may need to support them in performing certain daily living tasks such as preparing meals, paying bills, and running errands. If your loved one has speech and communication issues, you may need to speak on their behalf, especially when communicating with health professionals.

You can approach the following organisations for additional support:

1. Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN)
2. Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS)
3. Down Syndrome Association (DSA)

Supporting your loved one in their building of functional skills such as social skills, community living and self-care⁶ will enable them to live more independently.