An individual suffers from a motor deficiency when he or she has problems with locomotion.
A deficiency is a fault or defect . The term, which comes from the Latin word deficientia , can also refer to the lack of a certain property that is characteristic of something.
For example: "The doctor told me that I have a calcium deficiency" , "The deficiency of this method is obvious: children do not learn and, in addition, they get bored" , "Experts believe that the building collapsed due to a deficiency in its foundations" .
Different types of deficiencies
Motor deficiency is a neuronal deficiency that causes problems in a person's locomotion (movements). Those who suffer from this dysfunction have varying degrees of difficulty in moving or coordinating their movements.
Growth hormone deficiency , finally, arises when the subject fails to produce the appropriate amount of the so-called growth hormone. Various statistics claim that this imbalance affects about one in every four thousand children. Hypoglycemia and dwarfism are some of the main effects of this deficiency that appears due to genetic mutations, trauma, tumors or congenital diseases.
In the case of mental deficiency , it refers to a deficit in intellectual capacity that is noticeable from childhood and that generates difficulties in behavior that is considered normal.
Today, however, specialists prefer to use the term intellectual disability and focus on how people who suffer from this cognitive disorder can improve their quality of life, integrate into society and acquire greater autonomy in their actions.
A deficiency in growth hormone may be linked to hypoglycemia.
Some related definitions
The World Health Organization has developed definitions for some concepts that are often confused with each other but which mean clearly different things, these are:
Deficiency : Mismatches in behavior that reveal abnormal intellectual functioning, inferior to what is expected given the person's age and sexuality.
Disability : any restriction or abnormal functioning in the physiological, anatomical or psychological aspects of the organism (loss of memory, sense or limb)
Handicap : situation in which an individual is at a disadvantage compared to another due to a disability that prevents him from comfortably performing his social role. (Inability to find work, social relationships, state of anxiety or depression)
Despite the acceptance of these definitions, some specialists maintain that, for example, the term handicap could be harmful since it refers to a lesser validity. For this reason, many groups seek definitions for this incapacity with positive connotations, such as "different ability" instead of "disability."
Analysis of mental deficiency
To understand the concept of mental deficiency, it is necessary to first understand the concept of intelligence , which refers to the unique ability of a person to resolve conflicts and interact with the environment. It is important to note that there are three ways to define this disease , according to the following criteria:
*Psychometric: se considera que una persona es deficiente mental si muestra un bajo rendimiento en sus capacidades intelectuales. Quienes se enfocaron en el desarrollo de la deficiencia de acuerdo a esta perspectiva fueron Binet y Simon.
*Sociological: aquel individuo que presente dificultades para adaptarse a su entorno y llevar una vida autonómica, posee una deficiencia mental. Los autores más importantes en esta definición fueron Doll, Kanner y Tredgold.
*Biological: esta enfermedad es causada por una predisposición biológica, fisiológica o anatómica que sale a la luz durante la etapa del desarrollo.
Other lines to define mental deficiency are those imposed by the behaviourist criterion (to interpret the deficiency it is necessary to take into account environmental and biological criteria and the interaction between both) and the pedagogical one (the ordinary learning process should be considered mainly in the study because the mental deficit manifests itself in a difficulty to correctly carry out the learning .
Different degrees of understanding
Mental deficiency is divided into five levels according to the degree of understanding that people have, according to IQ measures, these are:
*Borderline: Personas con un IQ de 68-85. Manifiestan complicaciones en el aprendizaje, pero tienen acceso a desarrollar una vida sumamente normal.
*Mild mental deficiency: Individuos que poseen un C.I de 52-68 y manifiestas problemas en los aspectos motores y perceptivos, sin embargo pueden desarrollar buenas habilidades sociales y de comunicación, integrándose en el campo laboral y social que se propongan.
*Moderate or medium: Su C.I. es de 36-51, que les permite desarrollar hábitos de autonomía, comunicarse oralmente aunque con dificultad para comprender los convencionalismos sociales.
*Severe: People con un C.I que está entre 20-35, y que no les permite tener una gran autonomía: lenguaje oral, motricidad y habilidades sociales muy pobres.
*Severe mental deficiency: Poseen un C.I inferior a 20 y muestran graves desgastes en la motricidad y la comunicación con su entorno. Son casi absolutamente dependientes de los otros en todo y rara vez pueden responder a tratamientos de rehabilitación.
The causes of these disorders may be genetic conditioning (the root is dictated by the genes before the individual is conceived), or by extrinsic factors : perinatal (before birth), neonatal (complications during childbirth), postnatal (complications after birth). Finally, it is necessary to clarify that the social integration of people who suffer from some type of disability is essential in order to provide them with a happier life through comprehensive development. To do this, it is necessary to plan special educational tools adapted to the needs of these people.