How is intellectual disability treated?

There’s no way to cure or treat intellectual disability directly. With good treatment, individuals with intellectual disability can have a good quality of life. The treatments focus on helping with adaptive behaviors and life skills.

Treatment types include:

• Education support and interventions. These can help with changes to educational programs and structure. An example of educational support is an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), which creates a custom educational plan and expectations.
• Behavioral support and interventions. These kinds of interventions can help with learning adaptive behaviors and related skills.
• Vocational training. This can help people with intellectual disabilities learn work-related skills.
• Family education. This can help family and loved ones of those with intellectual disability learn more about intellectual disability and how to support a loved one who has it.
• Various medications can help with conditions that are related to or happen alongside intellectual disability. While these don’t treat intellectual disability itself, they can help with some of the symptoms that may contribute.
• Community support. A person and/or their family can contact local government agencies or support organizations. Doing so can help them get access to the services they benefit from, including supports in home or work environments and options for daytime activities.

Can intellectual disability be prevented?

Most of the time, experts can’t point to one specific cause of an intellectual disability. Parents shouldn’t blame themselves when this happens. But it might be possible to reduce your child’s risk when you’re pregnant, or while they’re young, by:

• Following your healthcare provider’s recommendations about taking medications during your pregnancy, and getting all recommended vaccinations (during pregnancy and throughout your child’s life).
• Limiting exposure to alcohol, nonprescription drugs and tobacco, and environmental toxins like lead.
• Talking to your provider about preconception genetic counseling if you have a family history of conditions that can cause intellectual disability.