Borderline Intellectual Functioning in Children: An Integrative Review of Ayurvedic Cognitive Concepts and Contemporary Cognitive Science

Abstract

Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF) represents a subthreshold cognitive condition characterized by below-average intellectual performance that does not meet diagnostic criteria for intellectual disability. Despite its significant educational, psychosocial, and functional implications, BIF remains poorly conceptualized within holistic health frameworks. This narrative review aims to examine BIF through an integrative lens by synthesizing contemporary psychological models with classical Ayurvedic constructs of cognition and intellect. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Google Scholar, and classical Ayurvedic texts, including Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, Ashtanga Hridaya, and Kashyapa Samhita. Concepts related to Buddhi, Dhee, Dhriti, Smriti, Medha, and their pathological correlates were analyzed and mapped onto modern neuropsychological domains such as executive function, memory, and adaptive behavior using a comparative-analytical framework. The review proposes that BIF can be conceptually understood in Ayurveda as a spectrum of Buddhi-vikara, primarily involving dysfunction of Dhee, Dhriti, and Smriti, influenced by prenatal, perinatal, postnatal, and psychosocial factors. Preventive and therapeutic approaches described in Ayurveda—particularly Medhya Rasayana, Sattvavajaya Chikitsa, and life-course–oriented preventive strategies—offer a complementary framework aligned with contemporary developmental and biopsychosocial models. This integrative synthesis highlights the relevance of Ayurvedic cognitive constructs in understanding borderline intelligence and underscores the need for interdisciplinary research to develop culturally sensitive, preventive, and individualized approaches for children with BIF.