Causes of intellectual disability
ID can have multiple causes:
- Metabolic;
- Infectious;
- Chromosomal;
- Environmental;
- Nutritional;
- Toxic: Intrauterine exposure to alcohol, cocaine or other drugs.
- And various other causes
It can also originate at different times:
- Before the baby is born;
- During birth;
- Because of a serious illness in childhood.
Symptoms of intellectual disability
Social and practical skills are affected, i.e. the daily living skills needed to live, work and play in the community: communication, social and interpersonal skills, self-care, domestic life, self-control, basic academic skills (basic reading, writing and mathematics), work, leisure, health and safety.
Adaptive skills are considered to be limited if there is a deficit in at least two of these areas compared to children of the same age and culture.
Cognitive stimulation in people with intellectual disabilities
Cognitive stimulation is recommended for all persons with intellectual disabilities in order to enhance their existing abilities, try to develop to the maximum those that they have and give them strategies to replace those they cannot develop. In this way, the aim is for them to have a life that is as functional and autonomous as possible.
The cognitive stimulation program of NeuronUP allows neuropsychologists, occupational therapists and speech therapists to adapt each activity to the particularities and needs of children with intellectual disabilities.
The examples of activities for children with intellectual disabilities described here have been developed by NeuronUP under the principles of generalization.
Activities for children with intellectual disabilities
1. Find the Different Picture
How is it played?
Kids need to point out the different image in a series of images
NeuronUP activity “Find the Different Picture”
Play by different levels
At the simplest levels the difference will be more evident, while at more advanced levels it will be more complicated to see the difference at first sight.
In addition, this card is available in both digital and paper format.
Cognitive functions
2. Find Toby
How is it played?
This game for children with intellectual disabilities consists of following the instructions as quickly as possible until the object is found.
Play by levels
On the simpler levels the user will have fewer indications to find Toby and the matrix will be smaller, while on the more difficult levels the indications will multiply and the matrix will be larger.
Customizing the activity
In addition, you can customize the activity to suit each child’s abilities.
General aspects
You will be able to adjust general aspects such as the number of exercises, the maximum time, whether or not you want the stopwatch visible for the activity, modify the instructions, etc.
Parameters
And on the other hand, the parameters, where the size of the matrix, the time spent on the stimuli, the start (fixed or random) and the maximum errors can be customized.
Cognitive functions
3. Painting and Coloring
The child has to color the drawing according to the model.
NeuronUP activity “Painting and Coloring” (also available in Spanish & Portuguese)
Play by levels
In the simpler levels the child will have fewer areas to color and fewer colors to choose from, while in the more advanced levels he or she will have more parts to paint and more colors to choose from.
In addition, this card is available in both digital and paper format.
Cognitive functions
4. Animal Pairs
It is a matter of discovering the pairs between a set of cards placed face down.
Play by level
On the simpler levels the user will have fewer cards and the animals will be more different, while on the more difficult levels there will be more cards and the animals will be more similar.
Personalization of the activity
In addition, you can customize the activity to suit each child’s abilities.
General Aspects
You will be able to adjust general aspects such as the number of exercises, the maximum time, whether or not you want the stopwatch visible for the activity, inactivity warning, modify the performance instructions, etc.
Parameters
And, on the other hand, the parameters, where you can select the number of cards, the memorization time, the similarity between the elements, the movement of elements and the numbering on the back.
Cognitive Functions
5. Step by Step (pictures)
This card for children with intellectual disabilities consists of putting in order the different steps necessary to carry out an activity. In this case, the steps must be ordered so that Marta can wash her hands.
Play by level
On the simplest levels the child will have to order fewer steps, while on the more complicated levels there will be many more steps to order.
In addition, this card is available in both digital and paper format.
Memory games for seniors: Worksheets for improving memory
typo in the “Mary washes her hands” game
Thank you very much, I will submit it to the product team to be corrected.