Homoeopathic Medicines in Intellectual Developmental Disorder: A Case Study

Dr Veer Davinder Singh

Abstract
Poor understanding, also called Intellectual Developmental Disorder (IDD), is a condition in which children or teenagers have difficulty in learning, understanding, and expressing themselves. They often struggle with schoolwork, remembering things, and connecting socially with others. This article explains how individualized homoeopathic medicine was used successfully in the case of a 15-year-old boy with poor understanding. The medicine was selected on the basis of totality of symptoms after careful case-taking.

Keywords: Poor Understanding, Intellectual Developmental Disorder, Homoeopathy, Individualized Homoeopathic Medicine

Introduction
Intellectual Developmental Disorder (IDD) refers to difficulty in learning, slow thinking, poor memory, and trouble with social skills. It is a neurodevelopmental condition, meaning the problem starts when the brain is developing, usually early in childhood or teenage years. It can happen because of genetic, biological, or environmental reasons.

Children or teenagers with IDD often:

Forget things easily.
Have trouble learning new things.
Can’t understand what is taught in school.
May not mix well with other children.
Struggle to express themselves or tell their needs clea

Case Report
A 15-year-old boy visited my clinic on 5 June 2023 with complaints of poor understanding and difficulty in learning since childhood. His parents were very worried because:

He could not remember what he studied.
He kept repeating words unnecessarily.
He was forgetful, restless, could not sit still.
He avoided talking or making eye contact.
He loved going outside, especially to gardens and parks.
He liked sour and sweet food.
Sometimes he behaved cruelly towards insects.
He was fearful of darkness.

They had tried many treatments including allopathy, homoeopathy, and ayurvedic without major results. He was on allopathic medicines for anxiety and mood.

Physical Generals

Appetite: Normal, but increases at night. Sometimes eats at midnight.
Thirst: Increased.
Craving: Likes sour and sweet foods (e.g., pani puri water, fruits).
Urine: Normal.
Stool: Normal.
Sleep: Sleeps mostly on abdomen (stomach).
Sweat: Mostly on face.
Dreams: Cannot describe.
Thermal Reaction: Ambithermal (not sensitive to hot or cold).

Mental Generals:

Very forgetful.
Underdeveloped speech.
Starts crying when scolded.
Loves travelling, gardens, flowers.
Cannot express his needs.
Sometimes acts cruelly (kills insects).
Fear of darkness.

Totality of Symptoms:

Poor understanding / slow learning
Appetite increased at night
Craving sour-sweet
Sleeps on abdomen
Forgetful of what he has learned
Desire for travelling
Love for nature
Acts of cruelty
Fear of darkness

Rubrics Selected:

Mind – Slow comprehension / Poor understanding
Mind – Appetite increased at night
Mind – Desire sour and sweet
Mind – Sleeping on abdomen
Mind – Forgetfulness of learned material
Mind – Desire for travelling
Mind – Love for nature
Mind – Cruelty
Mind – Fear of darkness

Prescription: Medorrhinum 1M – 1 dose given on 5 June 2023

Follow-up

10 July 2023:

→ Child started mixing with family.

→ Less restless.

→ Started listening when someone talks.

→ Allopathy dose reduced to once a week.