Intellectual Disability is a term used when a person has certain limitations in mental functioning and in skills such as communicating, taking care of him or herself, and social skills. These limitations will cause a child to learn and develop more slowly than a typical child. Children with Intellectual Disability may take longer to learn to speak, walk, and take care of their personal needs such as dressing or eating. They are likely to have trouble learning in school. They will learn, but it will take them longer. There may be some things they cannot learn.

Scientists say they've discovered a specific chemical in the brain they believe is linked to autism. The Harvard University researchers found that autistic behavior is associated with a breakdown in the signaling pathway used by a major inhibitory neurotransmitter called GABA. "This is the first time, in humans, that a neurotransmitter in the brain has been linked to autistic behavior. This theory -- that the GABA signaling pathway plays a role in autism -- has been shown in animal models, but until now we never had evidence for it actually causing autistic differences in humans," study leader Caroline Robertson said in a university news release. To read more,click here

People with Down syndrome have long been known to face a higher risk for a range of other illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes and immune disorders. Now, a new study has honed in on a possible cause: too much of a specific gene that disturbs the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system is involved in basic organ-related activities. These activities include heartbeat, blood pressure and blood sugar levels, the Johns Hopkins University researchers explained. They looked at tissue samples from both mice and people with Down syndrome. They found that those with Down syndrome carry three times the normal amount of a certain gene called RCAN1. This particular gene helps regulate a protein known as "nerve growth factor." To read more,click here

The number of U.S. kids living with type 1 diabetes has increased by almost 60 percent since 2002, and experts are not sure why. Using a national database, researchers found that the prevalence of type 1 diabetes stood at just under 1.5 cases per 1,000 children and teenagers in 2002. By 2013, that figure had risen to 2.3 per 1,000. The study, published online Dec. 17 in the journal Diabetes Care, adds to evidence of a global -- and puzzling -- rise in type 1 diabetes. Unlike type 2 diabetes -- a common adulthood disease -- type 1 diabetes has nothing to do with obesity. It's an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the cells that produce insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. To read more,click here

Scientists who saved the life of a newborn after a massive heart attack say the case shows that the human heart can fully recover after suffering major damage. The heart attack suffered by the infant in the first hours of life was caused by a blockage in one of the heart's main blood vessels. "The baby's heart was severely damaged. Astonishingly, the baby recovered very quickly," study author Bernhard Haubner, from the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna, Austria, said in an institute news release. Findings from the study were published online Dec. 9 in the journal Circulation Research. To read more,click here

For the first time, more U.S. high school seniors are smoking marijuana than tobacco, a new survey shows. Daily marijuana use remained relatively stable at 6 percent, while those seniors who said they smoked cigarettes every day dropped from 6.7 percent in 2014 to 5.5 percent, the researchers found. The same trend has been seen on college campuses, with a recent report showing that more college students (6 percent) now smoke a joint each day than light up a cigarette (5 percent). "While we have seen no increase in marijuana use, we continue to see deterioration in the perceived riskiness of marijuana," said Dr. Wilson Compton, deputy director at the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). "That often has been a predictor of greater use of marijuana in future years." To read more,click here

People with asthma may be more than twice as likely to develop chronic migraines as those without breathing troubles, a new study suggests. The research included about 4,500 Americans. At the start of the study in 2008, the study volunteers had fewer than 15 migraines a month. One year later, the researchers looked to see how many had chronic migraine -- 15 or more migraines a month. More than 5 percent of people with asthma developed chronic migraine. Just 2.5 percent of those without asthma ended up with chronic migraines, the study found. To read more,click here

For years, people surfing YouTube may have accidently or intentionally encountered so-called "pro-ana" videos extolling the virtues of a deadly disease: anorexia. But a new Norwegian study finds that people opposed to these pro-anorexia videos have mounted a response. Now, the vast majority of anorexia-themed videos posted to YouTube actually encourage recovery and warn viewers about the dangers of the eating disorder. Researchers analyzed the nature of widely viewed anorexia material because of concerns that viewers, especially diet-conscious young girls, might be swayed by videos promoting this unhealthy behavior. To read more,click here

Seeing other people drink or use drugs can trigger antisocial behavior in kids, a new study suggests. Duke University researchers used cellphones to survey about 150 children between the ages of 11 and 15 three times a day for 30 days. The study participants completed more than 90 percent of the surveys. On days when they saw others drink alcohol or use drugs, participants were two times more likely to engage in behaviors such as stealing, damaging property, or hitting or hurting someone. But those with a "risk-taking" gene associated with sensitivity to substance-use exposure were six times more likely to commit such acts, according to the study published online Dec. 9 in the journal Development and Psychopathology. To read more,click here

Young children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may experience more problems socializing with their peers, which can then contribute to worsening symptoms, a new study from Norway suggests. But the cycle between symptoms and social problems seems to diminish as children grow older, the study authors said. "Restless kids tend to be less attractive as play partners, due to their problems with sustaining attention to rules, being alert to other kids' ideas and a limited understanding of turn-taking," said study author Frode Stenseng. Stenseng is an associate professor at the Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare at Norwegian University of Science and Technology. To read more,click here

For the third year in row, federal officials say that the graduation rate for the nation's students with disabilities is on the rise. Figures released this week indicate that the graduation rate for those with disabilities hit 63.1 percent for the 2013-2014 school year. That's an increase over the 61.9 percent reported for the 2012-2013 school year and growth of 4.1 percent over three years, the U.S. Department of Education said. The gains come as federal education officials are touting four years in a row of record-high graduation rates across the country with some 82.3 percent of all students receiving diplomas during the 2013-2014 school year. To read more,click here

Some commonly used antidepressants may increase certain patients' risk of developing mania or bipolar disorder, a large study suggests. The strongest link was for depressed patients prescribed Effexor (venlafaxine) or antidepressants called serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the British study found. SSRIs include citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil) and sertraline (Zoloft). However, many patients who developed mania or bipolar symptoms likely had underlying bipolar disorder or a predisposition because of family history or other factors, the researchers believe. To read more,click here

Stem cell transplants seem no better than conventional therapy for Crohn's disease that hasn't responded to other treatments, a new study finds. The European study also found that for patients who cannot undergo surgery for the condition, stem cell transplants resulted in serious side effects, including infections. "In this group of the most resistant cases of Crohn's disease, stem cell transplant was an effective treatment, but it is not a miracle cure that could be applied to anyone with Crohn's disease, because it only seems to work in a minority of patients and the treatment is challenging and hazardous," said lead researcher Christopher Hawkey. He is a professor of gastroenterology at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, England. To read more,click here

In the basement kitchen of a stone church nestled in the Green Mountains, Rachel Wollum studied her reflection in an oven window, adjusting her auburn hair and orange polka-dot dress until they were just right. Satisfied with her appearance, Wollum, who is 26 and has Down syndrome, carefully poured four trays of freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies into bags bearing her name. Then, with the intensity of a drama student, she rehearsed lines familiar to almost every store clerk in Middlebury, where "Rachel's Cookies" are now a household name. To read more,click here

Women who take antidepressants during the final two trimesters of pregnancy may put their children at risk for autism spectrum disorder, a new Canadian study suggests. Researchers said it seemed that children had an 87 percent increased risk of autism if their mothers used antidepressants during the second and third trimester. The risk of autism rose even higher if a mother took a type of antidepressant called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI, the study found. These drugs include escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft). To read more,click here

New federal data indicates that the number of reported hate crimes targeting people with disabilities has ticked up. There were 95 hate crime offenses related to disability bias last year, according to recently released statistics from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program. The 2014 numbers are up slightly compared to the previous year when the FBI recorded 92 offenses targeting people with disabilities. At the same time, however, the overall number of hate crimes documented fell to 5,479 criminal incidents in 2014. To read more,click here

Teens who use abuse prescription drugs such as narcotic painkillers are more likely to have sex or to participate in risky sexual behaviors, a new study suggests. These risky behaviors included having sex with multiple partners, using drugs or alcohol before having sex or having sex without the use of a condom, the research revealed. The study looked at a variety of prescription drugs that might be used recreationally by teens. These included the prescription painkillers Oxycontin, Vicodin, Percocet or codeine; sedatives such as Xanax or Ativan; or stimulant drugs used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), such as Adderall or Ritalin. To read more,click here

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may have weaker connections among brain networks that help the mind focus, a new study suggests. Using MRI brain scans from 180 children with and without ADHD, researchers found that kids with the disorder showed weaker interactions among three brain networks involved in attention. What's more, the more severe a child's attention problems, the weaker those brain connections were. The findings, published online Dec. 15 in the journal Biological Psychiatry, add to evidence that children with ADHD differ from other kids in the way their brains are wired. To read more,click here