Intellectual and physical disability.

Question 1

What is physical disability?

Answer 1

• Total or partial loss of a person’s bodily functions.
• Total or partial loss of a part of the body.
• Can occur at any age but is usually life long.
  Examples: amputations, arthritis, MS.

Question 2

What is intellectual disability?

Answer 2

• Involves impairments of general mental abilities that impact adaptive functioning.
• For diagnosis, the impairments must originate before the age of 18

Question 3

Define the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health 2001 (ICF)

Answer 3

• A classification of health and health-related domains.
• Functioning and disability is a dynamic interaction between health conditions and contextual factors, both personal and environmental.

Question 4

Aims of ICF?

Answer 4

1. Provide a scientific basis for understanding and studying health and health-related states, outcomes and determinants
2. Establish a common language for describing health and health-related states
3. Permit comparison of data across countries, health care disciplines, services and time
4. Provide a systematic coding scheme for health information systems

Question 5

What does the ICF framework consist of?

Answer 5

1. Body Function & Structure: issue with body function/ changes in structure.
2. Activity: difficulty with doing activities.
3. Participation: issues with any area of life e.g. discrimination

• Environmental factors: facilitators/ barriers.
• Personal factors: self esteem/ motivation.

Question 6

Outline the diagnostic criteria for intellectual disability.

Answer 6

• IQ test and clinical assessment in three domains:
  1. Conceptual domain- limitations in intellectual functioning e.g language, reading
  2. Social domain: limitations in empathy, social judgement, interpersonal communication skills
  3. Practical domain: Self-management in areas such as personal care, job responsibilities, money management etc.

Question 7

What are the causes of ID?

Answer 7

• Prenatal: Obstetric/ In-utero complications, Eclampsia, FAS, Other drugs and toxins
• Post natal: infections, brain tumours, head injury, hypoxia.

Question 8

Discuss the health risks associated with intellectual disability.

Answer 8

• Primary: epilepsy, mobility problems, hearing problems, visual problems, psychosis, mental health disorders
• Secondary: obesity, fracture, poor oral health, constipation, GI reflux
  *Poly-pharmacy is also an issue, regular medication review.

Question 9

Communication issues people with ID encounter.

Answer 9

• Difficulties with spoken and written language and attention, e.g. communicating pain/ distress
• Physical/sensory impairments or behavioural disorders means they’re disregarded by HCP.
• Poor communication contributes to fear, sadness & frustration.

Question 10

What is a stigma?

Answer 10

• Defined as a condition/attribute marking an individual as culturally inferior/unacceptable.
• Leads to negative beliefs/ stereotypes (prejudice) and leads to exclusion/ avoidance (discrimination) of persons.

Question 11

Define different types of stigma in relation to disability.

Answer 11

1. Discreditable: not known by the world at large (not visually apparent)
2. Discrediting stigma: condition that is obvious and visible to others.
   Stigma can also be :
   - Enacted- actual behavioural discrimination
   - Felt- individual’s expectations of negative reaction