Question
Are individuals with mild intellectual disability considered slow-witted because their behavior is particularly clumsy, requiring constant guidance from others, as they often have no clue about things without such guidance, or frequently encounter problems due to brain short circuits?
Answer
Mild intellectual disability, also known as mild developmental delay, is caused by incomplete brain development or delayed neural development. These patients lack logical connections in understanding, integrating, and analyzing, but with guidance from others, they can adapt to society and typically acquire social and vocational skills to maintain a minimum standard of living. However, under abnormal social or economic pressure, they may need guidance and assistance from others. Symptoms that appear temporarily may be due to excessive stress or insufficient rest; with appropriate adjustments and good rest, the situation may improve. I apologize for the network issue that prevented me from seeing your subsequent questions. Patients with mild intellectual disability are referred to as slow-witted because they do not have the clear logical reasoning abilities that are typical of others. However, with long-term guidance and education, they can ensure basic living conditions, as I mentioned earlier. Regarding your subsequent examples, the patient’s idea of taking the dog out to sunbathe might be because there is sun for sunbathing, but further logical reasoning such as cold weather is beyond their ability to predict without instruction. They need to be taught repeatedly to remember. Due to incomplete intellectual development, it is understandable for them to say things similar to what children say.