Intellectual Disability

Excerpt

Individuals with an intellectual disability have neurodevelopmental deficits characterized by limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. These disabilities originate at birth and manifest before the age of 18 and can be associated with a considerable number of related and co-occurring problems, including mental health (e.g., depression and anxiety), neurodevelopmental (e.g., autism spectrum disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), as well as neurological (e.g., infantile cerebral palsy) and medical conditions (e.g., meningitis).

Intellectual Functioning

Intellectual functioning is generally called intelligence and includes a wide range of mental activities such as the ability of logical reasoning and practical intelligence (problem-solving), ability in learning, verbal skills, and so on. It manifests and expresses itself through numerous sets of capabilities, behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. In other words, intellectual functioning is definable as the global ability that allows the individual to understand reality and interact with it.

Intellectual functioning is commonly measured by the intelligence quotient (IQ), which represents a total score obtained from standardized tests (IQ tests) developed for evaluating human intelligence. IQ test score has a median of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. A score of 70 or below (two standard deviations below the median) indicates intellectual limitations.

Adaptive Behavior

These disabilities express as lacking competence in social, conceptual, and practical skills. Social skills include interpersonal skills, social responsibility, self-esteem, gullibility, naivety, resolution of social problems, and the ability to follow the rules of society and obey the laws. Conceptual skills include the ability to understand time, finance, and language. Practical skills include the ability to use tools, carry out activities of daily living, and interact with other people. All these skills are learned throughout development and performed in response to common problems and simple/complex tasks, as well as expectations from our community and society. Obviously, these behavioral responses become progressively more complex with age. Several validated tools are useful for assessing limitations in adaptive behavior.