Signs & Symptoms of Intellectual Disabilities | Millcreek of Magee Treatment Center (2024)

Causes and risk factors for intellectual disabilities

Anytime something occurs that interferes with a person’s normal brain development there is the risk for the development of intellectual disability. More specifically, intellectual disability can be caused by a problem that starts any time before the age of 18 as a result of injury, disease, or abnormality in the brain. However, the exact cause can only be determined about a third of the time. The most common causes and risk factors include:

Genetic: Sometimes it is possible for intellectual disability to be caused by abnormal genes that have been inherited or from errors that occur when genes combine. Some examples of these genetic conditions include Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome.

Physical: The presence of some diseases and infections such as whooping cough, the measles, or meningitis can lead to intellectual disability. Additionally, intellectual disability can be caused by extreme malnutrition, not getting enough medical care, or exposure to poisons like lead or mercury.

Environmental: Problems during pregnancy that interfere with the fetal brain being able to develop properly can result in intellectual disability. Some of these interferences can include drug or alcohol use, maternal malnutrition, preeclampsia, and infections during pregnancy. Also, problems during childbirth, including extreme prematurity and oxygen deprivation increase the risk for intellectual disabilities. Finally, traumatic brain injuries, extreme malnutrition, and near-drowning have the potential to cause the onset of intellectual disabilities.

Risk Factors:

• Malnutrition
• Low parental IQ
• Prenatal alcohol or drug exposure
• Contraction of illnesses or infections while in utero
• Deprivation of oxygen during birth
• Brain injury