Early assessment gives children the best chance to learn, connect and thrive. These pages are written for parents and teachers.
Intellectual Disability
Is your child sitting, walking, talking and learning much later than other children the same age? Intellectual disability means significant limits in thinking skills (IQ about 70 or below) and everyday life skills, starting in childhood (ICD-11 6A00). It ranges from mild to profound.
How common is it?
About 1 in 100 people; around 85% are in the mild range.
Who is at higher risk?
- Genetic conditions (Down syndrome, Fragile X)
- Infections, malnutrition or iodine deficiency in pregnancy
- Lack of oxygen at birth or prematurity
- Brain infections or injury in early childhood
- Untreated thyroid problems
Signs & symptoms
Delayed milestones, slow learning, difficulty with reading, money and time, needing more help with self-care and safety than peers.
What causes it?
Genetic, pregnancy-related, birth-related or early childhood causes; sometimes no single cause is found.
How to know if your child is struggling — you may relate if…
- She is 6 but plays and talks like a 3-year-old.
How Mind Detox Centre helps
IQ and social-maturity testing (Binet-Kamat, MISIC, VSMS) for diagnosis and disability certification, individual education planning, daily-living skills training and family counselling.
Frequently asked questions
At what age can autism or ADHD be diagnosed?
Autism can often be identified by 18–24 months; ADHD is usually diagnosed from about age 5–6.
Will my child outgrow a learning disability?
SLD is lifelong, but with early remedial support children learn strategies and do well.
Is screen time a cause of autism?
No. But too much screen time can delay speech and attention, so limit it for all young children.