Abstract
BackgroundBorderline intellectual functioning (BIF) is defined as a “health meta-condition… characterized by various cognitive dysfunctions associated with an intellectual quotient (IQ) between 71 and 85 which determines a deficit in the individual’s functioning both in the restriction of activities and in the limitation of social participation”. It can be caused by many factors, including a disadvantaged background and prematurity. BIF affects 7–12% of primary school children that show academic difficulties due to poor executive functioning. In many children with BIF, language, movement and social abilities are also affected, making it difficult to take part in daily activities. Dropping out of school and psychological afflictions such as anxiety and depression are common in children with BIF.This study investigates whether an intensive rehabilitation program that involves all of the areas affected in children with BIF (Movement, Cognition and Narration of emotions, MCNT) is more effective than Standard Speech Therapy (SST).MethodsThis is a multicenter interventional single blind randomized controlled study. Children aged between 6 to 11 years who attend a mainstream primary school and have multiple learning difficulties, behavioral problems and an IQ ranging between 85 to 70 have been enrolled. Participants are randomly allocated to one of three groups. The first group receives individual treatment with SST for 45 min, twice a week for 9 months. The second group receives the experimental treatment MCNT for 3 h per day, 5 days/ week for 9 months and children work in small groups. The third group consists of children on a waiting list for the SST for nine months.DiscussionBIF is a very frequent condition with no ad hoc treatment. Over the long term, there is a high risk to develop psychiatric disorders in adulthood. Due to its high social impact, we consider it very important to intervene during childhood so as to intercept the remarkable plasticity of the developing brain.Trial registration“Study Let them grow: A new intensive and multimodal Treatment for children with borderline intellectual functioning based on Movement, Cognition and Narration of emotions”, retrospectively registered in ISRCTN Register with ISRCTN81710297 at 2017–01-09.
Highlights
Borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) is defined as a “health meta-condition... characterized by various cognitive dysfunctions associated with an intellectual quotient (IQ) between 71 and 85 which determines a deficit in the individual’s functioning both in the restriction of activities and in the limitation of social participation”
According to the CONFIL consensus group [3], BIF can be defined as a “health meta-condition ... characterized by various cognitive dysfunctions associated with an intellectual quotient (IQ) between 71 and 85 which determines a deficit in the individual’s functioning both in the restriction of activities and in the limitation of social participation”
We developed an innovative treatment for BIF that stems from three main theoretical considerations: 1- Intelligence is not a fixed entity but a multidimensional and dynamic process; 2- the development of emotional, cognitive and motor skills is interrelated; 3-. environmental enrichment (EE) has a high impact on the neurodevelopment
Summary
Borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) is defined as a “health meta-condition... characterized by various cognitive dysfunctions associated with an intellectual quotient (IQ) between 71 and 85 which determines a deficit in the individual’s functioning both in the restriction of activities and in the limitation of social participation”. Borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) is defined as a “health meta-condition... Characterized by various cognitive dysfunctions associated with an intellectual quotient (IQ) between 71 and 85 which determines a deficit in the individual’s functioning both in the restriction of activities and in the limitation of social participation” It can be caused by many factors, including a disadvantaged background and prematurity. A longitudinal study of the impact that mild intellectual deficits, including BIF, have on the life course demonstrated that low-IQ individuals, compared to their higher IQ siblings, completed less schooling, had less prestigious occupations, rated themselves less physically healthy, and reported lower levels of psychological well-being [19]
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