Intellectual disabilityis a lifelong condition thataffectsa person’sintellectual skills andtheirbehaviourin different situations.
Itcan includedifficulties incommunication, memory, understanding, problem solving,self-care,social and emotionalskillsandphysicalskills.
People with intellectual disability have the samefeelings,rights,and aspirations as everyone else.
Intellectual disability does not define who a person is, how they should be treatedor how they want to live.
What causes intellectual disability?
A person can be born withanintellectual disability or acquire it before age 18.
Some of the most common causes of intellectual disability include:
- Down Syndrome
- Fragile X syndrome
- Prader-Willi Syndrome
- Rett Syndrome
- Foetalalcohol spectrum disorder
- Premature birth
- Childhood brain injury.
Click on the links to find out more aboutthese conditions.
Many people with an intellectual disability also experience other types of disability, such as aspeech, hearing orphysical disability,autismor a mental health condition.
How is intellectual disability diagnosed?
Intellectual disabilitycan be diagnosed in children (under 18) by aclinical psychologistorpsychiatrist.
It is diagnosed using:
- anIQ test
- anadaptivebehaviourtest.
Itis usually diagnosed in early childhoodandmaybe suspectedifa child is developingslower thanother children.
Adiagnosis can help people accessgovernmentserviceslike theNDISand theDisability Support Pension.
For example,people with an IQ of less than 70 are automatically eligiblefor the Disability Support Pension.
Sometimesintellectual disabilitygoes undiagnosed in childhood. This can be a barrier topeopleaccessing the servicesand supportsthey need.
More information on diagnosing intellectual disability can be found on the American Psychiatric Association website.
What supportdo people with intellectual disability need?
Every person with an intellectual disability is different.
Some people live independently with support from family,friendsorpaid supports, while otherpeople may need help with many aspects of their lives.
Someareas of support might include:
- Organising daily life activities
- Communication
- Social interaction
- Problem solving
- Self-care
- Reading and writing
- Usingmoney
- Administrative processes, like government systems.
With the right support,allpeople withanintellectual disability can learn and develop new skills.
Language, then and now
Over the past 40 years, there has been abigshift in the waywe think and talk aboutdisability.
Evenour early names included old-fashionedwords that were not respectful.Nowweuse rights-based and person-first language when we talk about disability.
In the past, many terms used to describe intellectual disability were not respectful.
Most commonly we use the term “person withanintellectual disability”although some people also prefer the term “disabled person”.
Learn about thehistory of Inclusion Australia.
The social modelof disability
We now understand thatdisablingbarriers presented by society impactheavilyonpeoples’lives.
It is these socialbarriers,not justpeoples’individual impairments, which create disability.
This is called the social model of disability.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is based on the social model of disability.
Itenshrinesuniversal rights forallpeople with disabilities.
Learn more aboutour work to promotehuman rightsfor people with intellectual disabilities.
The voicesof people with an intellectual disability
The CRPDwasdriven by and continues to support disability rights movements all over the world, including Australia.
Unfortunately, across the world, the voices of people with intellectual disability have been excluded, even from disability rights movements.
In Australia too,thediverserights and needs ofdifferent groups ofpeoplewith intellectual disabilityare often overlooked.
This is particularlythe casefor people withhigher and more complex support needs.
Learnhow weincrease the voiceof people with intellectual disability.
“We challenge all those who would define intellectual disability as simply slower or deficient ways of remembering,thinkingand communicating.
Our message is clear. Respect and understand differences. Value all people for their contributions.
Treat all people with equality regardless of their disability, religious, gender, ethno-racialcultural, sexual orientation, and otherdifferences.”
– Inclusion International
