Down and Fragile X syndromes. Intellectual impairment may be present in some
children with cerebral palsy and those who have suffered birth anoxia, and severe
infections, for example, meningitis and rubella. Intellectual impairment is also a
feature of autism, microcephaly, and metabolic disorders (e.g. phenyl-ketonuria), and
may also be acquired after significant trauma. Not every condition will have specific
dental features like Down syndrome, but an understanding of the underlying
impairment will help the dentist plan treatment more effectively.
Mental retardation, pervasive developmental disorders (autism and schizophrenia),
learning disabilities, dyslexia, attention-deficit disorders, and hyperactivity are all
controversial categories whose definition and processes of assessment are not
universally agreed.
Key Points
Classification of children with impairments
- intellectually impaired⎯mentally retarded, learning difficulties;
- physically impaired⎯developmental, degenerative;
- sensory impairment;
- medically compromised;
- combination of impairments.
Mental retardation
This is sometimes called mental handicap, mental subnormality, or mental deficiency.
It is a general category characterized by low intelligence, failure of adaptation, and
early age of onset. Low general intelligence is the main characteristic. Affected
children are slow in their general mental development and they may have difficulties
in attention, perception, memory, and thinking. They may be stronger in some skills
than others, for example, music and computing, but generally they are of low
intellectual attainment. Children with low intelligence are not called mentally retarded
unless they also have some problem in adaptation. That is, they are unlikely to be able
to live independently and will always depend inappropriately on others as a source of
income and support for daily living. According to IQ levels, five levels are
traditionally described. The simplicity of the classification is somewhat illusory with
great individual differences among people with mental retardation.
Key Points
Intellectual impairment may occur in:
- cerebral palsy;
- birth anoxia;
- severe infections;
- autism;
- microcephaly;
- metabolic disorders;
- major trauma;
- some syndromes.
Down syndrome