TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Childhood Cognitive Disability A1 - Durkin, Maureen S. A1 - Schupf, Nicole A1 - Stein, Zena A. A1 - Susser, Mervyn W. A2 - Wallace, Robert B. PY - 2017 T2 - Maxcy-Rosenau-Last Public Health and Preventive Medicine, 15e AB - Mental retardation or cognitive disability occurring in childhood is a condition with enormous public health implications for at least four reasons. One is its relative frequency; with prevalence as high as 1% or greater in most populations, mental retardation is among the most common childhood disability.1,2,3 Another is its early onset and frequent life-long duration. A third is its socioeconomic impacts, which include adverse impacts on productivity and quality of life of affected individuals and caregivers as well as increased expenditures for medical care and residential services. A fourth reason is that prevention, whether primary, secondary, or tertiary, is attainable via public health interventions for nearly all forms of mental retardation. Examples of primary prevention include nutritional interventions such as iodine and folic acid supplementation and food fortification, immunization programs, and removal of environmental sources of lead exposure. Early identification followed by therapeutic interventions, for conditions such as Down syndrome and phenylketonuria (PKU), are examples of secondary prevention of mental retardation. Examples of tertiary prevention include early cognitive stimulation, special education, and habilitation to enhance functioning. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Medical CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accessbiomedicalscience.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1141961719 ER -