SIBU: Of 5,000 births every year at the Sibu Hospital, about three per cent or 150 are babies born with intellectual disability.
Sibu Hospital pediatrician Dr Toh Teck Hock said the figure contributed to the overall 20,000 to 60,000 children with such a problem currently in Sarawak.
“But not all are having total difficulties in learning. Some of them are born with 50 per cent intelligence compared to normal people.
“Many of them have normal motor skills such as walking and other motor activities may be normal or delayed only marginally,” he said.
He was presenting his paper, ‘Who are Children with Special Needs’ at the workshop on ‘Education for the Children with Special Needs’ at Agape Centre here yesterday.
The workshop was jointly organised by the Association for Children with Special Needs Sibu, Special Olympics Sibu and Sibu Divisional Health Office.
It was held in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the Special Olympics, Sibu chapter.
The known causes for intellectual disability, he said, were genetic, brain damage before, during or after birth and infections such as meningitis or encephalitis.
“Interruption of the oxygen supply to a baby or young child at birth or afterwards and traumatic incident which can cause injury to the developing brain are also among the known causes,” he said.
Some 120 parents and schoolteachers of special needs children participated in the workshop.
Another speaker was Dr Koay Teng Leong who spoke on ‘What is so special about Special Education’.