The beauty of the rainbow gives you different colours and this is how each color has different meanings but we accept every color in life. Likewise, a child has a different personality and different intellectual levels in life that every parent should accept with no judgements towards their child. When we talk about intellectual disability it is nothing related to “Mental Retardation “but it is more of behavioral and cognitive developmental issues. A normal kid is aware of their surroundings, can do problem-solving things, can walk and jump, able to communicate their feelings as compared to special needs. But when we distinguish them, special needs have more of a creative mind, they need care, love and assistance from their loved ones.

When we talk about special needs children, we also need to talk about the caregiver burden whether they are parents or any close ones and their mental health. It is true parents feel societal pressure when they see normal kids playing in the park with a group of other friends. Parents do get the feeling of envy; they sometimes feel agitated which can lead to fights between the spouses. They even feel guilty because for them the communication gap makes it hard to understand the needs of their child. So, what exactly are the factors that affect intellectual disability?  The very first thing is genes, lack of oxygen, infections during pregnancy, drinking toxins such as drugs, alcohol and not getting proper nutrition. Health insurance is also important for them because they have higher chances of injuries. Parents can also keep a self-care journal with them, where they can note down the progressive reports of their child and what they are doing for their improvements.

One of the preventive measures parents can always follow is to have genetic counselling during pregnancy. The recommendations for the parents to have an intellectual test of their child between the age of  4 -6 years and as soon as they know about their delayed development they should go for behaviour therapy, special education, speech therapy, parental counselling, and occupational therapy so that recovery for that child can happen fast and they can lead to normal lives. Lastly, parents are the only shield to their child and they can be the best motivator for the child’s recovery.