Intellectual development disorders
A permanent intellectual development disorder is characterised by :
- a deficit in intellectual functions, which may be seen in language, reading, numbers, understanding rules, self-care, etc.
- a deficit in adaptive functions in activities of daily living (communication, social participation, independence, etc).
Before a child or adolescent is allocated to a specific Centre of Competence, a specialist diagnosis is made.
Each case is discussed and decided on the basis of the specialist diagnosis by an independent body, the CNI. It is here that the remit of the CDI – or another Centre of Competence – is defined.
There are many causes of mental disability:
- at conception (genetic diseases, chromosomal aberrations – trisomy, fragile X syndrome -, blood incompatibility, etc.) ;
- during pregnancy (ionising radiation, viruses, drugs, parasites, alcohol, tobacco, etc.);
- at birth (brain damage in newborns, prematurity, etc.);
- after birth (infectious, viral or metabolic diseases, poisoning, head injuries, accidents at work or on the road, drowning, asphyxiation, etc.).
Whatever the cause, the person has a permanent intellectual disability. They may then need appropriate support and assistance to develop their independence, individual abilities and social interactions.