Intellectual Disability

Intellectual disability is classified here as a neurological condition. Specific diagnostic features, causes, and distinctions from other conditions are not described in the available reference material, so this overview does not define those aspects.

Begin with a focused overview of intellectual disability within the neurological conditions category.

5What may help

This list shows research findings, not treatments. Nothing here replaces medical care. If you have this condition, talk to a doctor.

What may help

None of these options has good evidence yet. Best evidence first.

5 options:5 not enough evidence

What studies foundSize of effect

Gardening TherapypracticeNot enough evidence
Too few or too small studies to know if it works.
The one study found a benefit.
One 2017 study involving students with intellectual disabilities reported improvements in attention and sociability.
Open the Gardening Therapy page
YogapracticeNot enough evidence
Too few or too small studies to know if it works.
The one study found a benefit.
A review of 10 studies in people with intellectual disabilities reported benefits for balance and anthropometric, pulmonary, and cardiovascular measures.
Open the Yoga page
Jump Rope TrainingpracticeNot enough evidence
Too few or too small studies to know if it works.
The one study found a benefit.
A 2023 randomized trial studied Jump Rope Training in 34 adolescents with moderate intellectual disability.
Open the Jump Rope Training page
Nasal Irrigation (Neti Pot)practiceNot enough evidence
Too few or too small studies to know if it works.
The one study found a benefit.
A review of randomized and non-randomized human studies reported improvements in mental ability and social behavior in people with intellectual disability.
Open the Nasal Irrigation (Neti Pot) page
SwimmingpracticeNot enough evidence
Too few or too small studies to know if it works.
All 2 studies with a clear result found a benefit.
A 2024 randomized trial involving 42 children found improvements in balance and lower-limb muscle strength after a 12-week aquatic exercise program compared with control. A separate cross-sectional study of 9 swimmers with intellectual disabilities described more efficient coordination patterns and faster velocities.
Open the Swimming page

The expert view shows every study, dose protocol and source.

What may help

Interventions recorded as helping with this condition5 listed

The best we have, but the evidence is still weak

PracticesGardening TherapyCertaintyLowSourceRCT
One 2017 study involving students with intellectual disabilities reported improvements in attention and sociability.
Who was studied
Healthy people and patients
Dementia
Depression
Intellectual Disability
Study result
One study on students with intellectual disabilities reported improvements in attention and sociability.
Open Gardening Therapy
→
PracticesYogaCertaintyLowSourceRCT
A review of 10 studies in people with intellectual disabilities reported benefits for balance and anthropometric, pulmonary, and cardiovascular measures.
Who was studied
People with a condition
Intellectual Disability
Study result
Systematic review of 10 studies in individuals with intellectual disabilities reporting benefits of yoga on balance, anthropometric, pulmonary and cardiovascular parameters.
Open Yoga
→
PracticesJump Rope TrainingCertaintyLowSourceClinical
A 2023 randomized trial studied Jump Rope Training in 34 adolescents with moderate intellectual disability.
Who was studied
People with a condition
Intellectual Disability
Study result
Trial enrolled adolescents with moderate intellectual disability; the practice was studied as an intervention for this population.
Open Jump Rope Training
→
PracticesNasal Irrigation (Neti Pot)CertaintyLowSourceClinical
A review of randomized and non-randomized human studies reported improvements in mental ability and social behavior in people with intellectual disability.
Who was studied
People with a condition
Cancer
Intellectual Disability
Study result
Controlled study shows improved mental ability and social behavior.
Open Nasal Irrigation (Neti Pot)
→
PracticesSwimmingCertaintyLowSourceClinical
A 2024 randomized trial involving 42 children found improvements in balance and lower-limb muscle strength after a 12-week aquatic exercise program compared with control (p < 0.05, moderate to large effect sizes). A separate cross-sectional study of 9 swimmers with intellectual disabilities described more efficient coordination patterns and faster velocities.
Study result
Significant improvements in balance and lower limb muscle strength in children with ID after 12-week aquatic exercise intervention compared to control (p < 0.05, moderate to large effect sizes).
Open Swimming
→

What to avoid

Interventions recorded as making it worse

Nothing in this library is currently recorded as making Intellectual Disability worse. Coverage is partial, and absence here is not evidence of safety.

Browse the supplements that are written up

How to read the evidence

Evidence tier — overall strength of the evidence for the whole compound

StrongWell established — backed by strong, consistent human research.
ModerateSome genuine support, but mostly from small or lower-quality studies. Promising, not proven.
PreliminaryEarly-stage evidence — a promising hypothesis, not an established effect yet.
LimitedVery limited evidence — treat this as a hypothesis, not proof.
InsufficientNot enough good evidence to draw conclusions yet.

Certainty — how sure we can be that the effect is real

Very highVery sure — strong, consistent evidence
HighFairly sure — consistent evidence from good studies
MediumModerately sure — new studies could change this
LowNot sure — little or mixed evidence
Very lowVery unsure — almost no usable evidence

Source — where the data comes from

Meta-analysisPooled analysis of many trials — the strongest evidence
RCTRandomized controlled trial — a strong human study design
ClinicalA human clinical study
Reference knowledgeFrom general health-science or pharmacology references, not a study of this exact claim
Animal researchStudied in animals, not humans
Community reportsAggregated user reports — anecdotal signal, not evidence
TheoreticalMechanism-based reasoning, not yet tested

Study grade — quality of each underlying study (A best, D weakest)

AHigh-quality — strong, consistent human trials
BGood — solid evidence with some limitations
CModerate — limited, small, or mixed-quality studies
DWeak — preliminary, indirect, or animal-only

Confidence — how strongly the sources back a finding

A 0–100 score from study quality and agreement

Most supplement evidence is graded C–D. Read it as preliminary signal, not proof.

Full write-up

What is it

Evidence-backed options

Swimming is associated with a clinical finding in children with Intellectual Disability following a 12-week aquatic exercise intervention. Compared with a control group, the intervention was linked with significant improvements in balance and lower limb muscle strength, with moderate to large effect sizes and p < 0.05.

The finding reflects changes observed after the full 12-week intervention; the available information does not establish how quickly effects appeared during that period or how long they continued afterward. It also does not specify the exact swimming or aquatic exercise program, session frequency, or participant characteristics beyond the children’s health status.

The overall evidence is rated low in strength, so this result should be interpreted cautiously rather than as a predictable outcome for every child with Intellectual Disability. Research in other groups, on different outcomes, or with other aquatic programs may not apply. This information is educational and is not medical advice; questions about aquatic exercise for a child with a medical condition can be discussed with a clinician.