Intellectual Disability: Is There Hope for Improvement?

Intellectual disability is a condition whose main feature is a reduced IQ, either congenital or acquired by the child before the age of three. In this case, the ability to think abstractly is generally limited, as are math skills, logic, and even creativity. At the same time, the emotional sphere is hardly affected. People with limited intellectual abilities feel affection and hostility, grief and joy, cheerfulness and sadness. Perhaps the feelings of such people are not as varied and complex as those of people with typical intelligence. It is important to note that intellectual disability does not tend to progress, so the level of IQ is stable, and sometimes it may even improve over time through education and training.

Some causes of intellectual disability can be prevented with appropriate medical care. Children with this diagnosis respond best to help at an early age. Therefore, if you suspect that your child has a developmental delay, you should see a specialist. In our clinic, innovative methods, including micropolarization, are used to support children with this condition. Transcranial micropolarization (TCMP) may bring noticeable changes in some patients.

How can the condition appear?

Intellectual developmental delay begins in childhood. People with limited IQ have below-average mental functioning and intelligence, and tests of communication skills and everyday tasks usually show lower results.

The degree of intellectual disability is divided into mild, moderate, and severe or profound. Symptoms of intellectual disability appear long before the child turns 18. The signs may occur on their own or be caused by other, less serious conditions in addition to the intellectual disability.

Causes of the deviations

The development of intelligence is determined by the environment and genetics. The main unfavorable factors include:

1. In childhood: hereditary diseases; brain diseases or infections such as meningitis, encephalitis, chickenpox, whooping cough, and measles; head injuries; lack of education; nutritional deficiency; exposure to lead, mercury, and other toxins; social factors; exposure; endocrine disorders; genetic defects.
2. Problems at birth: birth injury; lack of oxygen during birth; premature birth or low birth weight.
3. Problems during pregnancy: toxoplasmosis; rubella, HIV, CMV, or herpes infection; syphilis; use of drugs or alcohol that affect fetal development; exposure to certain diseases or infections during pregnancy; smoking; malnutrition.

It should be noted that not all patients exposed to these factors develop intellectual disability. In addition, its development depends more on the timing of exposure to a given factor than on the nature of the factor. If you suspect that your child is at risk, tell your doctor.

We are often asked: "How is intellectual disability treated?"

Until recently, medicine had few tools for treating such disorders: educational measures combined with medications remained the main approach. Today, an innovative method, micropolarization, has become available. In the case of this diagnosis, we offer TCMP as part of a comprehensive program. According to patients, a course of TCMP may have a lasting effect, with a positive trend in the child's development, including intellectual development. The earlier treatment is started, the easier it is to achieve progress, and pronounced intellectual impairment can also be partly compensated.

Advantages of brain micropolarization:

1. It may allow a reduction in the medication load.
2. It is not a drug-based method, so it does not involve the toxic effects associated with medications.
3. It is compatible with other types of treatment and may enhance the therapeutic effect of other methods within a comprehensive approach.
4. It is not addictive and is generally well tolerated.
5. The method has been in clinical use for many years.

Possible effects of TCMP:

1. Blood pressure may normalize.
2. As motor functions develop, the child becomes more skillful and gradually begins to master self-care skills.
3. As communication skills improve, the child begins to hear and understand speech and tries to interact with peers and adults.
4. Fears may decrease, aggression may lessen, and a need for knowledge about the world and interest in other children may appear, among other changes.
5. During the formation and activation of higher mental functions: voluntary visual and auditory attention.
6. General strengthening of the body and psychological prevention: increasing and maintaining the body's adaptability and self-regulation processes.
7. Possible support of overall cardiovascular regulation.

Book a course of micropolarization to support your child's development.

Sources

• Ukrainian Wikipedia
• World Health Organization