Lecture 6

Question 1

What are the 3 requirements to be labelled as having an intellectual disability?

Answer 1

1. An IQ below 70, 2 SD below the mean
2. Inability to cope/adapt
3. Onset must be before 18

Question 2

What are the four levels of

Answer 2

Mild: IQ 55-69
Moderate: IQ 40-54
Severe: IQ 25-39
Profound: IQ below 25

Question 3

What are the different facets of coping/adaptive behaviour?

Answer 3

self help skills
communication skills
socialization or interpersonal skills
locomotion
occupational skills
personal responsibility: eg care of own property
social responsibility: eg care of others' property
emotional adjustment

Question 4

Name the different facets of coping that are focused on/assessed at each age to test adaptive behaviour.

Answer 4

1. Infancy and childhood: emphasis on self help skills
2. Childhood and early adolescence: academic and social skills
3. Late adolescence and adult life: vocational capability and social responsibility

Question 5

What are some characteristics of people with mild intellectual disabilities?

Answer 5

• can acquire basic skills and symbolic communication
• encounter major difficulties only in abstract thought and complex judgment
• look physically like everyone else
• 75% of total people intellectually disabled
• develop at same rate as everyone else

Question 6

What are some characteristics of people with moderate intellectual disabilities?

Answer 6

• able to distinguish between safety and danger but fail in daily tasks requiring symbolic communication such as: reading, writing, arithmetic
• don’t need round the clock supervision
• recognized much more easily than the mildly disabled child
• 20% of total people intellectually disabled

Question 7

What are some characteristics of people with severe/profound intellectual disabilities?

Answer 7

• 5% of total people intellectually disabled
• require constant care for survival
• the higher degree of social integration and social support the child receives, the better their coping skills

Question 8

What are the 4 categories for the etiology/causes of intellectual disability?

Answer 8

1. Genetic Disorders, ex. PKU, Fragile X
2. Chromosomal Disorders, ex. Down syndrome
3. Biological Causes, ex. rubella
4. Environmental Causes, ex. lack of folic acid in utero, FAS

Question 9

What percent of people have an unknown cause for their disability?

Answer 9

40%-50% of people have an unknown cause for their disability.

Question 10

What is the most common hereditary cause of an intellectual disability?

Answer 10

Fragile X

Question 11

What is the leading known cause of mental retardation in the Western world?

Answer 11

Fetal alcohol exposure is the leading known cause of mental retardation in the Western world.

Question 12

Define/explain: foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

Answer 12

• the main effect of FAS is permanent central nervous system damage, especially to the brain
• the risk of brain damage exists during each trimester, since the fetal brain develops throughout the entire pregnancy
• alcohol crosses the placental barrier and can stunt fetal growth or weight, create distinctive facial features, damage neurons and brain structures, and cause other physical, mental, or behavioral problems

Question 13

List some of the behavioural deficits in Down Syndroome infants that may affect parent-child interaction.

Answer 13

• infants smile less
• begin smiling at a later date
• vocalize less
• more limp when picked up
• in older Down children, less eye contact used as a communication signal
• part of the cognitive deficit in Down Syndrome infants is an impairment in the ability to learn that their responses can serve as signals for the mother

Question 14

What is the use of medication in Psychotherapeutic Management of children with intellectual disabilities?

Answer 14

Parents should be told that medication will not effect intelligence directly, it can only control certain target symptoms, ex. seizures, hyperactivity, psychotic behaviour. It should not be the sole form of treatment.