Hi! I'm in the process of creating a character with Down Syndrome and was wondering what some of the typical areas of struggle someone would have with a mild to moderate form of intellectual disability. Thank you! (Sorry if the question is kind of vague, I'm still at the starting point for doing research for this character)
Hi! I'll answer the best I can with what I've learned up to date, but if you have more questions, you're welcome to ask them!
I'll be making an actual post on ID (Intellectual Disability) at some point, but for now I'll try writing as simple and informative of an answer as possible.
I'm going to be assuming that your character is an adult, but if it's not the case, I can adjust my answer. Children and adults interact differently with their ID; some young children with mild ID can even go unnoticed, while as an adult, it's more obvious.
Essentially, ID influences three domains: conceptual, social and practical. The level of severity indicates how much the person is affected in these three areas of functioning.
The conceptual domain includes academic skills (reading, writing counting, time, etc) and executive function (planifying, prioritizing, cognitive flexibility, etc).
Some examples I've seen or heard of: going to the grocery store with their sibling because they struggle to understand the value of money, having their parent read legal documents with them and explaining it to them because they don't understand complex words or long paragraphs, planning their week with a SPED technician, using pictograms or visual aids for daily chores (as opposed to a checklist), using a text-to-speech program to navigate the internet...
Most people I've met with ID didn't finish their high school. In cases where the person is unable to assume responsibilities due to their difficulties, such as taxes or groceries, someone else may do it for them entirely.
The social domain includes maturity (emotional regulation, understanding of risk in social situations, gullibility, etc) and communication skills (verbal and nonverbal language, reciprocity, social cues, etc).
Some examples I've seen or heard of: using an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication device) or sign language, butting in conversations naturally, getting yelled at due to not picking up the signs of annoyance or anger from the other person, changing the topic without realizing it if the conversation was too complex for them, feeling emotions very strongly and struggling to control their reactions (can be from anger or excitement), having someone simplify what other people are saying because the language they are using is too complicated...
When describing your character and the way they act, please remember that formulations such as "mentally 7 years old" do not represent their reality adequately and can be seen as offensive. While they may behave like a 7 year old child would, if they are a 42 year old person, they are exactly that; a 42 year old person.
The practical domain includes daily tasks (getting dressed, eating, elemination, etc) and more professional tasks (legal or health care decisions, working, groceries, raising a family, etc).
Some examples I've seen or heard of: only cooking with their siblings because they always forget to turn the stove off or can't manipulate knives safely, having their parent accompany them to every appointment in case they forget to mention something or the doctor says something they don't understand, working in special organizations that adapt all their tasks to their worker's special needs, living with their parent to help raise their own child...
Note that people with mild to moderate ID don't need as much support for basic needs than people with severe to profound ID. They may need reminders or guidance, but can generally eat, get dressed and eliminate without direct assistance. People with mild to moderate ID can even be caretakers themselves!
That would be all I can write without turning this into a college lecture- if I didn't already. This was fun to answer, thank you so much for the ask!
There's also the actual ID diagnostic criteria, other Down Syndrome symptoms and comorbidities I could've elaborated on, but I suggest you to look that up yourself! It's a very interesting read. If you have any other questions after this, however, I'd love to answer them!
