Question

Why is it so difficult to identify factors that cause intellectual disability?

Short answer

The difficulty in identifying factors that cause intellectual disability arise due to its multi-faceted nature, wide variations in manifestations, the need for extensive and sometimes inconclusive testing, and complications in tracking potential environmental influences.

Step-by-step solution

Understand Intellectual Disability

Intellectual disability refers to significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, which includes many everyday social and practical skills. This disability originates before the age of 18.

Identify Possible Causes

Intellectual disability can be caused by any condition that impairs development of the brain before birth, during birth, or in the childhood years. Several hundred causes have been discovered, but in about one-third of the people affected, the cause remains unknown. Some of the common reasons are Genetic conditions, Problems during pregnancy, Problems at birth, Health problems and Environmental factors.

Explain Difficulties in Identifying Causes

Identifying the causes can be difficult for several reasons. Due to the vast range of potential causes, it requires extensive medical and genetic tests to determine the root cause. Additionally, many causes of intellectual disabilities remain unknown. The wide variation in the ways intellectual disabilities can manifest also adds to the difficulty in identifying causes. Moreover, environmental factors such as exposure to diseases or toxic elements can also cause an intellectual disability, tracking these exposures can be challenging.