Summary
The protocol covers disorders of intellectual development and presents the document’s severity categories of mild, moderate, severe, and profound impairment. Diagnosis is not treated as the result of a single IQ score. Instead, it requires an integrated assessment of intellectual development, the pattern of cognitive strengths and limitations, adaptive behavior, and the person’s ability to function in everyday settings. Developmental change over time, possible etiological factors, coexisting psychiatric, neurological, and physical conditions, and the social environment are all considered.
Assessment includes a detailed developmental history, psychiatric and psychological evaluation, and examination of memory, attention, thinking, emotional regulation, communication, and practical skills. Physical and neurological examinations, pediatric review, and standardized measures of intellectual and adaptive functioning are included. Genetic consultation is considered when congenital anomalies, multiple developmental markers, or a relevant family history are present. Laboratory and instrumental investigations primarily help clarify etiology and exclude alternative conditions; routine neuroimaging without a clinical indication is not presented as the principal means of confirming the diagnosis.
The protocol gives priority to continuous habilitation, special educational support, behavioral and psychological approaches, family education, and assistance with social adaptation. Psychopharmacology does not treat the underlying intellectual impairment and is reserved for selected, clinically significant coexisting behavioral, emotional, or psychiatric symptoms, with monitoring of benefit and safety. Rehabilitation covers daily-living, communication, and motor skills, adaptive physical activity, vocational preparation, suitable employment, and psychoeducation for parents or legal representatives. The prevention section focuses mainly on regular, comprehensive review of physical and mental health, access to primary care, and the prevention or early recognition of secondary health and social complications.