is characterized by below-

average intelligence or mental ability

and a lack of skills necessary for day-
to-day living. People with intellectual
disabilities can and do learn new
skills, but they learn them more
slowly.
Sources
National Institutes of Health
National Library of Medicine
Last reviewed 02/17/2015
 Failure to meet intellectual developmental
markers
Persistence of infantile behavior
Lack of curiosity
Decreased learning ability
Inability to meet educational demands of
school
Sources
National Institutes of Health
National Library of Medicine
Last reviewed 02/17/2015
DETECTION
 unexplained (the largest category)
trauma (prenatal and postnatal) such as oxygen deprivation before, during or after birth
infection (congenital and postnatal)
Chromosomal abnormalities
Genetic abnormalities and inherited metabolic disorders
metabolic disorders
toxins such as lead or mercury poisoning
nutritional deficits such as severe malnutrition
environment
Treatments
In order to develop an appropriate treatment
plan, an assessment of age-appropriate
adaptive behaviors should be made using
developmental screening tests. The objectives
of these tests are to determine which
developmental milestones have been missed.
The primary goal of treatment is to develop
the person's potential to the fullest. Special
education and training may begin as early as
infancy. Attention is given to social skills to
help the person function as normally as
Sources
National Institutes of Health
National Library of Medicine
Last reviewed 02/17/2015