Intellectual disabilities

Intellectual disability can be defined as a significantly reduced ability to:

• understand new or complex information
• learn new skills
• cope independently including social functioning.

Intellectual disability is usually identified during childhood, before 18 years of age and has a lasting effect on development throughout a person's life.  Intellectual disability affects some people more than others. Approximately 75 per cent of people with intellectual disability are only mildly affected, with 25 per cent moderately, severely or profoundly affected.

Symptoms and characteristics

The symptoms and characteristics of a person’s intellectual disability will vary depending on the cause. Three symptoms most people with intellectual disabilities have in common are:

• difficulty understanding new information
• difficulties with communication and social skills
• may be unable to live independently or have trouble with vocational skill development.

A range of information on intellectual disabilities and their symptoms and characteristics can be sourced at the links below:

• Angelman syndrome
• Cri du chat syndrome
• Down syndrome
• Fragile X syndrome (adult)
• Prader-Willi syndrome
• Williams syndrome

Workplace solutions and adjustments

In the workplace there are various factors that would assist people with intellectual disabilities to better manage their symptoms and maintain independence in the workplace. These include changes to work tasks and the environment and will vary depending on the person’s disability:

• organising the work day with set structure and routine
• if possible enable work duties to be done in one area to assist with familiarisation and learning
• use prompts to trigger memory and recall such as alarms, computer alerts, visual prompts, cue cards, task breakdown lists or use of a buddy system
• education for co-workers about the condition, and any information about the person such as how they best communicate and learn new information
• consider the use of adaptive technology to overcome any barriers associated with hearing or vision loss
• consider adaptations to workstations if a person has a physical impairment or is of short stature and has difficulty reaching objects.

References

Better Health Channel 2010, Intellectual disability—facts and figures, State Government of Victoria, Melbourne, viewed 9 November 2011, http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Intellectual_disability_facts_and_figures?open.