Intellectual disability is defined as a group of developmental conditions coupled with cognitive impairment, learning disability and trouble in adaptive behaviour. It occurs due to various causes such as genetic congenital (Down syndrome, faulty X chromosome), development issue (during pre and post birth period) and environmental factors (exposure to metal poison, etc.). These factors result in functional abnormalities, varying in severity levels, of the Central Nervous System.
The intellectual developmental condition affects cognition and adaptive behaviour of a person. It is categorized according to its severity, eg., mild, moderate or severe. Currently, there is no guaranteed cure for intellectual disability. However, neuro-restorative approaches with stem cell therapy focus on the symptoms of the patient intellectual disability. Studies have demonstrated that abnormalities in areas of the brain, such as hippocampus and cerebral cortex, lead to death or alterations in neuronal networks, brain plasticity, axon growth, dendritic arborization, etc.
Signs of intellectual disability
Signs of intellectual disability may not be noticeable in a child up-to a certain age. The symptoms vary according to the level of the severity of the disability. Some of the most common signs are:
- Late motor activities like rolling over, sitting, crawling, walking, etc.
- Having trouble with talking
- Slow to master daily activities like dressing, tying shoelace, potty training, etc.
- Difficulty in remembering
- Explosive tantrums
- Difficulty with logical thinking
Children may also face other problems such as seizure, anxiety, mood fluctuation, and visionor hearing impairments.
Bone marrow mesenchymal cells are defined as pluripotent cells that have the ability to differentiate into multiple cells. They are derived from the patient himself using a bone marrow aspiration needle. The aspirate collected is transferred to the laboratory where the healthy stem cells are separated by the density gradient method. They are checked for viruses by ‘fluorescence activated cell sorter’ analysis before being injected intrathecally into the patient.
Once into the body, these cells have a unique property of migrating to the damaged areas, proliferating and differentiating into the required cell types. Stem cell therapy helps in replacement of the lost or damaged cells and also stimulate the existing cells from further damage. They carry out the repair process through paracrine secretion for growth factors, neurogenesis, decreasing inflammation, immunomodulation, etc. The bone marrow derived mesenchymal cells can also differentiate into mature neurons or glial cells that are therapeutically beneficial for patients with neurological disorders.
As a part of the protocol, the patient with intellectual disability is also referred to personalized rehabilitation program or therapies such as speech therapy, behaviour therapy, etc. with an objective to maintain and reduce the level of impairment (of specific symptoms) and to enhance the functional status of the patient. These occupational therapies improve the performance of the patient’s daily activities.
On comparing the pre and post CT scan, there is an improvement seen in areas of the brain such as left amygdala and cerebellum of patients. This proves that stem cell therapy along with rehabilitation therapies is a safe and effective treatment which provide hope for patients, parents and caregivers.
Advice to parents of a child with intellectual disability
To help an intellectually disabled child:
- Learn about intellectual disabilities to understand his situation and helplessness.
- Encourage him to attempt working on new things by himself and give a positive feedback when he does something well.
- Involve him in a group activity, like an art class, to build his social skills.
- Follow his progress at school and support his week areas through practice at home.
- Interact with parents of other intellectually disabled children for advice and emotional support.
