What are the characteristics of children with intellectual disabilities?

Jun 26, 2024 Source: Cainiu Health
Disease description:

The child of my neighbor is three years old now, and seems a bit different from normal children. It is said that he has mental retardation. What are the characteristics of mentally retarded children?

Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhou Xiaofeng
The manifestations of intellectually disabled children are varied, mainly including the following aspects: 1. **Intellectual disability**: Intellectually disabled children show明显 lower abilities in comprehension, learning, and memory compared to normally developing children of the same age. According to the degree of intellectual impairment, it can be categorized as mild, moderate, severe, or profound. 2. **Social interaction difficulties**: These children may experience challenges in interpersonal communication, such as poor communication skills and difficulty understanding others' intentions or expressing their own needs. 3. **Delayed motor development**: Compared to normally developing children of the same age, their motor skill development is significantly delayed. For instance, they may begin sitting or walking at a later age. 4. **Poor self-care abilities**: Some intellectually disabled children face difficulties in daily self-care tasks, such as inability to independently complete activities like washing, eating, or dressing themselves. 5. **Psychological and behavioral problems**: They may exhibit emotional instability, anxiety, inferiority, and other psychological and behavioral issues, requiring increased attention and support from parents and teachers.