Diagnostic evaluation and rehabilitation in children with intellectual disabilities

Intellectual disability is characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and adaptive skills, which begins before the age of 18. Intellectual disability is lifelong disability that starts in infancy or the early childhood years but cannot be diagnosed accurately until the child is at least 5 years old, when standardized measures of intelligence become reliable and valid. For a person with intellectual disability, both proper diagnostic classification and functional classification are important in establishing a network of support. An optimal clinical genetics diagnosis is critical to understand etiology of intellectual disability syndromes. Supports of the child with intellectual disability should not only focus on the child and his condition, but also on the family. Developmental and educational interventions depending on the child's age should be emphasized. This report describes historical perspectives of intellectual disability, rehabilitative and neurodevelopmental approach for the children with intellectual disability, and the effectiveness of early intervention.