About Intellectual Developmental Disabilities

The term "Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities" is now the preferred term to describe persons who experience difficulties with thinking and reasoning. According to "Project
Ability" funded by the Oregon Children's Justice Act (CJA) Task Force:

"Intellectual and developmental disabilities are either congenital (a condition present at birth) or acquired, e.g., a severe infection such as meningitis. Other terms that have been used previously for intellectual disability include cognitive disability or cognitive impairment.

Persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities usually develop more slowly than peers and soon fail to achieve developmental milestones in some or all of the developmental domains (gross motor, fine motor, social, and emotional). School age children with intellectual and developmental disabilities may struggle with memory, problem solving, attention, reading, language, math and visual comprehension.

The major consequence of an intellectual and developmental disability is a limited ability to function in areas of daily living such as self-care, independent living, communication and social/interpersonal skills. Called 'adaptive behavior,' this set of behaviors indicates how well children (and adults) can function to maintain age-appropriate independence and meet the personal and social demands expected of them. Adaptive skills include dressing, toileting, feeding and learning."

Mental Retardation

Mental retardation is a diagnosis for children who have Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores below 70 and delays in at least two of three areas of adaptive behavior-daily living skills, communication skills, and social/interpersonal skills. Many young children diagnosed with mental retardation can learn to do many things but do so more slowly than typically developing children…Mental retardation…is often addressed through early intervention and special education programs.

Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome is a condition that results in an individual with 47 rather than 46 chromosomes, with an additional copy of chromosome 21. Physical characteristics that are noticeable at birth may include low muscle tone, flat nose, small mouth and ears, slanted eyes, short arms and a large head. Down syndrome may cause delays in physical development and intellectual attainment; however, many people with Down syndrome can live independently. According to the National Association on Down syndrome, "The most important fact to know about individuals with Down syndrome is that they are more like others than they are different."

Autistic Disorder

Most children with autism have an associated low IQ. Children with autism described as ‘high functioning’ have an IQ score above 70; children diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder usually have no intellectual impairment but may have nonverbal learning disabilities. Often the low IQ score does not determine the potential of a child with autism, because the impairments in communication and social interactions may have far more impact on a child’s ability to function well in daily living.”

Conclusion

With the support of their families many of these people can lead productive and satisfying lives. But with more severe disabilities, the likelihood that families can provide the necessary assistance decreases. An individual with more severe intellectual developmental disabilities needs lifelong special services and support in order to function in society.

Individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities may need help with personal care such as bathing, dressing, and eating; activities of daily living such as cooking, managing money, and shopping, health and safety such as taking medications, crossing the street, and what to do in case of emergency; mobility; social skills; and communicating wants and needs. They need loving caregivers to guide and teach them.

On a spiritual level, faith-based organizations such as the National Apostolate for Inclusion Ministries (NAFIM), offers full support for the “inclusion of persons with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities in the Catholic Church.” They can be found at www.nafim.org. Many local dioceses also offer programs that serve persons with IDD, and these programs may be found within each individual website. Finally, St. Louis Center and the Servants of Charity Congregation “strive to reach the depth of people’s hearts through God’s grace, where human skills fail. Stirring the most hidden resources, they produce results that appear miraculous, even to the eyes of those so aided.”