Why do we flinch at the mention of Mental Retardation? Quite a number of us become uncomfortable at the mention of that term. However, it is a truth that we must deal with almost all through life.
We should embrace it and talk about it as often as possible as it threatens our peaceful coexistence.
Let’s break it down; Intellectual Disability is a situation where intellectual thinking/functioning and adaptive behaviour is highly limited in an individual leading to unusual behaviour. It usually manifests around the age of 18 and can best be detected through an IQ test. Test results of 70 or as high as 75 is an indicator.
Adaptive behaviour on the other hand is the collection of social and practical skills that are learned and
performed by people in everyday life.
An example is the ability to care for self through bathing, dressing, grooming, feeding or even the ability to communicate using verbal and non-verbal language.
Children with special needs are capable of learning, just at a slower pace. To help a child with this type
of disability attain a good level of independence, parents and members should get them started by encouraging them to do basic activities like dressing, grooming, and feeding him or herself. It will be helpful to give them small responsibilities such as folding clothes, washing dishes, sweeping the floor by themselves. They should be shown how to do jobs by breaking tasks down into smaller steps.
Instructions should be given one at a time as a matter of fact, and please help the child when he or she needs support to complete a job. Always praise the child for a task well done. Praises will help build a child’s abilities and confidence, and it will motivate them to do tasks without a reminder.
Parents and teachers can work together to encourage adaptive skills by informing parents about what their child is learning in school. If a child is learning about money at school, parents should encourage that learning at home by taking the child shopping with them. Talk about the cost of items with the child; assist the child in counting the money to pay, and then help in counting the change.
Only by several evaluations and assessments can professionals determine whether an individual has an intellectual disability. Once determined by a professional such as social workers or knowledgeable doctors, it is then they can develop a personalized support plan for the individual suffering from intellectual disabilities. Doctors or social workers will continue to assess the individual quarterly to determine the effectiveness of the Personal Support Plan (PSP). Carrying out assessment will help to determine if a new PSP is needed for continual personal support when the child has accomplished the PSP or if the PSP is a bit difficult to accomplish. Regardless of the situation, a new PSP will be rewritten for the child.
Studies concerning the issues of intellectual disability intervention in children and teenagers are often not available in Nigeria nor is there adequate special education school to support these vulnerable children (Bakare, Ubochi, Ebigbo, Orovwigho, 2010).
Tests of intellectual functioning (IQ): Tests of intellectual functioning are designed to measure different mental abilities. These tests are commonly called intellectual quotient (IQ tests). According to wilderdom.com, a normal and average IQ range between 90-109 and severity in intellectual disability/mental retardation can be broken down into 4 levels: • Mild mental retardation-50-70 (85%) • Moderate mental retardation-35-50 (10%) • Severe mental retardation-20-35 (4%) • Profound mental retardation- IQ less than 20 (1%)
IQ tests measure the following mental abilities: • Reasoning • Problem-solving • Abstract thinking • Judgment • Academic learning • Experiential learning.
Overall, it is crucial not to stigmatize the families or individuals suffering from intellectual disabilities but
rather provide appropriate personalized care for these vulnerable people by integrating them into the community so that they can live a normal life and be contributing members of our society. In addition, to try and remove the barriers that their family encounter by providing family support through counselling and group support on how to cope with their loved one’s condition. Again, the government should put a law in place that protects and supports these vulnerable people and have trained qualified healthcare workers such as doctors, social workers, therapist etc. to help assist the individual and their families. It is highly important to create awareness on intellectual disability and educate the community on what intellectual disability is and how to look for symptoms so that proper support can be provided.
Quote 1
“Why do we flinch at the mention of Mental Retardation? Quite a number of us become uncomfortable at the mention of that term”
Quote 2
“It is crucial not to stigmatize the
families or individuals suffering from intellectual disabilities but
rather provide appropriate
personalized care for these
vulnerable people”
NIMOTAS PROFILE
Nimota Raji-Gambari resides in Canada but visits Lagos at least twice in a year She has a Masters degree in Social Work with a focus on Mental Health issues from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Her Bachelor degree is in Social Work from York University in Toronto, Ontario Canada. In addition, she has a Diploma in Gerontology from Sheridan College in Brampton, Ontario Canada.
She currently works in a Group Home Setting with Individuals with developmental disability, mental health issues, (Retardation/Mental Issues), and Autism. She has been in this field for 15yrs now. Again, she has done extensive research on Mental Health, Alzheimer/Dementia, Bipolar, Autism, Personality Disorders etc. She also does private counselling in all these areas. She is now a Weekly Columnist with City People.
