Severe mental retardation

The key to curing mental retardation in children is early detection and early treatment, finding the cause and prescribing the right medicine. Mental retardation occurs during the developmental period, and general intellectual function is significantly lower than the level of children of the same age, accompanied by adaptive behavioral defects. For those whose causes have been identified, such as chronic disease, poisoning, long-term malnutrition, hearing or vision impairment, efforts should be made to eliminate the cause as much as possible so that their intelligence can be partially or completely restored.

Treatment of severe mental retardation:

1. Treatment of the cause

For those whose causes have been identified, such as chronic disease, poisoning, long-term malnutrition, hearing or vision impairment, efforts should be made to eliminate the cause as much as possible so that their intelligence can be partially or completely restored. Children with endocrine and metabolic abnormalities such as hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria should be diagnosed early and receive thyroid hormone replacement or special diet therapy for phenylketonuria to improve their intelligence level. Intellectual retardation caused by social, psychological and cultural reasons can be improved by changing the environmental conditions, allowing them to live in a friendly and harmonious family, and strengthening their education.

2. Training and rehabilitation

Through the application of medical, social, educational and vocational training measures, patients are trained according to their age and the severity of their intellectual disability to achieve the highest possible intellectual level.

As early as possible, children with the disease should receive long-term comprehensive education and training in organized institutions (such as nurseries and kindergartens). It is best to care for the sick child together with normal children, which is more beneficial than caring for them separately. Special classes or schools are set up to improve physical health, train daily living skills and language functions, and simple cultural learning. The establishment of work medical stations can, on the one hand, train production skills for adolescent patients and, on the other hand, guarantee employment. Special hospitals and sanatoriums (villages) can also be set up to admit people with moderate or above intellectual disabilities.

After understanding the treatment methods for severe mental retardation, when improving severe mental retardation, patients and their families should actively cooperate with the doctor's treatment. In addition, during the process of improving severe mental retardation, the patient's care should also be comprehensive, so that the patient's intelligence can recover quickly and will not induce other physical diseases.