Classification, prevalence, prevention and rehabilitation of intellectual disability: an overview of research in the People's Republic of China

Abstract

The People's Republic of China is a developing country with all the problems and challenges that face such countries all over the world. Progress has been hampered by scarcity of resources, and a lack of relevant information and appropriate skills, as well as by the stigma traditionally attached to people with intellectual disability. The present rapid economic development has made possible further improvement and expansion of educational opportunities, and health and rehabilitation services. According to a recent census and sample surveys conducted in the People's Republic of China, the overall prevalence rate of people with disabilities was estimated to 4.9%. Thus, China has more individuals with disabilities than any other country in the world. According to these figures, the prevalence of intellectual disability in the population is approximately 1%. For children younger than 14 years of age, the prevalence is around 2%, which accounts for 66% of all handicapped children, making it the most frequent childhood disability. Today, the existing medical facilities, and educational and social welfare organizations cannot meet the tremendous need of care and services. The problems of the large number of disabled children and adults are a major challenge for contemporary Chinese society. This paper is devoted to research pertinent to intellectual disability in China. With a few exceptions, only publications in the English language were included in this review, which makes the overview selective rather than comprehensive. Publications on classification systems and diagnostic criteria, screening methods and assessment instruments, prevalence rates, aetiology and risk factors, prevention and intervention efforts, special education, and families with children with intellectual disability are presented.

Childhood Disability in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Overview of Screening, Prevention, Services, Legislation, and Epidemiology

“…The importance of adequate centers and staff to identify genetic causes of disability was highlighted by the author. 17,69 The importance of collaboration between different professionals working in the area of disabilities and involvement of semiprofessionals and family in the process of service delivery was emphasized by others. 71,82 The role of families was further highlighted in studies in Lesotho, 35 Jamaica, 83 and India.…”

“…71 Yousef 72 outlined available services in different Arab countries, with a special focus on education. Some reviews 61,[67][68][69] discussed various causes for intellectual disability among children in developing countries and provided a framework for implementing preventive strategies to reduce the impact.…”

“…The review articles were a mixture of studies that discussed various issues related to childhood disabilities, such as problems in conducting research in developing countries, [59][60][61] screening methods, 62,63 risk factors and prevention strategies, including early childhood strategies, [64][65][66][67][68][69] and available services. 61,67,[70][71][72] None were systematic reviews or included critical comments about individual articles.…”

The Prevalence of Mental Retardation Among Third Grade Elementary School Children in the Suwon Area, Korea

“…Mental retardation (MR) is one of the most frequent handicaps among children and can be a serious and life long disability, placing heavy demands on the society and the health system (1)(2)(3). According to the American Association on Mental Retardation' s 1992 definition (4), the diagnosis of MR can be made if a person displays the following three characteristics: 1) the person' s intellectual functioning level is approximately 70 to 75 or below; 2) there are related limitations in two or more applicable adaptive skill areas; 3) the age of onset is 18 yr or below.…”

Childhood Disability among Students Population in Dubai, School-based Screening Strategy, Dubai, UAE, 2016

“…Some researchers have identified this issue and have tried to address it through their research. [4][5][6][7][8][9] The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that worldwide, around 15 million children aged below 15 are handicapped by vision due to uncorrected refractive disorders! The WHO estimated that in 2004, 275 million people were handicapped because of compromised hearing and 80% of these people lived in low-and middle-income countries.…”