EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DELAYED MILESTONES IN DIFFERENT LEVEL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

Minakshi Vashist, *Ritu Yadav, Kirti Grow and Shiksha Sharma

ABSTRACT

Intellectual disability is a life long disability that presents in infancy or the early childhood years but it cannot be diagnosed until the child is older than 5 years, when standardized measures of intelligence become reliable and valid. Intellectual disability coexists with many serious physical problems. Level of intellectual disability, age & sex of the person, associated disorder, locality and information of delayed milestones was recorded from data given by parents or center of rehabilitation. In the present study, there were 78.4% males and 21.6% females. Diagnostic studies revealed epilepsy, learning disorder, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Behavioral problem in 24%, 25%, 16%, 35% persons respectively. Cerebral palsy was seen in 45% of the children from all categories of intellectual disability. Significant difference was revealed in delayed milestones such as head control (P<0.001), crawling (P<0.001), sitting (P<0.001), standing (P<0.001), walking (P<0.001) in all three levels of intellectual disability. Increased knowledge of these delayed milestones will allow parents & others to keep track of appropriate development. Careful assessment of the child will be helpful in appropriate evaluation and referrals to provide genetic counseling resources for the family and early intervention programs for the child.

Keywords: Delayed milestones, Genetic disorder, Genetic Counseling.