What causes low intelligence in children?

Update Date: 2024-12-05 Source: Network

Intellectual Disability Generally Indicates Significantly Lower Intellectual Functioning Than Peers

Intellectual disability generally means that intellectual functioning is significantly lower than that of peers. Generally speaking, this condition is not common. Let's follow the editor to explore the causes of intellectual disability in children. I hope it can be helpful to you.

1. Infection and poisoning account for 12.3%. Infection refers to brain infections before and after birth, such as viral infections like rubella, cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis, herpes simplex virus, etc. Poisoning includes hyperbilirubinemia, septicemia, lead poisoning, alcoholism, and long-term overdose of phenytoin or phenobarbital.

2. Brain injury and hypoxia account for 19.6%. Brain injury can occur before, during, and after birth, such as birth injuries and craniocerebral trauma. Perinatal or postnatal ischemia and hypoxia can also damage brain tissue, such as severe blood loss, anemia, heart failure, lung diseases, neonatal asphyxia, intracranial hemorrhage, as well as drowning, anesthesia accidents, and cerebral hypoxia after persistent epileptic seizures.

3. Metabolic, nutritional, and endocrine disorders account for 5.8%. Metabolic disorders of substances such as amino acids, carbohydrates, fats, mucopolysaccharides, and purines can affect the development and function of nerve cells, such as phenylketonuria and galactosemia. Prenatal and postnatal malnutrition, especially the lack of substances like protein and iron, can reduce the number of brain cells or cause dysfunction in fetuses and infants. Endocrine disorders can also affect intellectual development, such as thyroid dysfunction.

4. Brain diseases account for 0.7%. This includes tumors, unexplained degenerative diseases, neurocutaneous syndromes, cerebrovascular diseases, etc.

5. Congenital brain malformations or genetic syndromes account for 9.5%. Congenital malformations include hydrocephalus, hydrencephaly, microcephaly, neural tube defects, cerebral dysplasia, etc. Genetic syndromes include adrenoleukodystrophy.

6. Chromosomal aberrations account for 5.1%. Chromosomal aberrations include Down syndrome, trisomy 18 syndrome, Group C trisomy syndrome, cat-eye syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Turner syndrome, and other numerical or structural changes in autosomal or sex chromosomes.

7. Other factors account for 11.8% of perinatal cases. This includes premature infants, low-birth-weight infants, intrauterine growth retardation, maternal nutritional diseases, pregnancy-induced hypertension, etc.

8. Accompanied by psychiatric disorders such as infantile autism and childhood schizophrenia.

9. Sociopsychological factors account for 8.2%. These children have no organic brain lesions and are mainly caused by adverse environmental factors such as neuropsychological damage and sensory deprivation, such as severe early lack of appropriate stimulation and education.