Impact of Cognitive or Sensory Impairment on the Child and Family

Impact of Cognitive or Sensory Impairment on the Child and Family

• Cognitive Impairment
  • Is a general term that encompasses any type of mental difficulty or deficiency
  • Used synonymously with “intellectual disability”
  • Diagnosis
    • Made after a period of suspicion by family or health professionals
    • In some instances, made at birth
• Intellectual disability
  • Three components
    • Intellectual functioning
      • Subaverage intellectual function: IQ of 70 to 75 or below
    • Functional strengths and weaknesses
      • Impairment in 2 of 10 adaptive skills
    • Younger than age 18 at the time of diagnoses
• Diagnosis and classification
  • Early signs suggestive of cognitive impairment
    • Dysmorphic syndromes (e.g., Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome [FXS])
    • Irritability or non-responsiveness to environment
    • Major organ system dysfunction (e.g., feeding or breathing difficulties)
    • Gross motor delay
    • Fine motor delay
    • Language difficulties or delay
    • Behavior difficulties
• Etiology
  • Infection and intoxication, such as congenital rubella, syphilis, maternal drug consumption (e.g., fetal alcohol syndrome), chronic lead ingestion, or kernicterus
  • Trauma or physical agent (e.g., injury to the brain experienced during the prenatal, perinatal, or postnatal period)
  • Inadequate nutrition and metabolic disorders, such as phenylketonuria or congenital hypothyroidism
  • Gross postnatal brain disease, such as neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis
  • Unknown prenatal influence, including cerebral and cranial malformations, such as microcephaly and hydrocephalus
  • Chromosomal abnormalities resulting from radiation; viruses; chemicals; parental age; and genetic mutations, such as Down syndrome and FXS
  • Gestational disorders, including prematurity, low birth weight, and post-maturity
  • Psychiatric disorders that have their onset during the child’s developmental period up to 18 years of age, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs)
  • Environmental influences, including evidence of a deprived environment associated with a history of intellectual disability among parents and siblings