intellectual disability

(noun)

A broad concept encompassing various intellectual deficits, including what was formerly known as mental retardation (MR), deficits too mild to properly qualify as MR, various specific conditions such as specific learning disability, and problems acquired later in life through acquired brain injuries or neurodegenerative diseases like dementia.

Related Terms

Examples of intellectual disability in the following topics:

  • Intellectual Disabilities

    • Intellectual disabilities are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by significantly impaired intellectual and adaptive functioning.
    • Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome are examples of syndromic intellectual disabilities.
    • Among children, 30% to 50% of intellectual disabilities are of unknown cause.
    • Currently, there is no "cure" for an intellectual disability.
    • Down syndrome is one of the more common genetic causes of intellectual disability.

  • Intellectual Disabilities

    • An intellectual disability is a significant limitation in an individual's cognitive functioning and daily adaptive behaviors.
    • Mild: Approximately 85% of individuals with an intellectual disability fit into this category.
    • Moderate: About 10% of people with intellectual disabilities fit into this category.
    • Individuals living with intellectual disabilities face both personal and external challenges in life.
    • People with intellectual disabilities are often discriminated against and devalued by society.

  • Learning Disabilities and Special Education

    • Special-education programs are designed to help children with disabilities obtain an education equivalent to their non-disabled peers.
    • An intellectual disability, or general learning disability, is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors (such as self-help, communication, or interpersonal skills).
    • Intellectual disabilities were previously referred to as mental retardation (MR)—though this older term is being used less frequently—which was historically defined as an intelligence quotient (IQ) score under 70.
    • There are different levels of intellectual disability, from mild to moderate to severe.
    • The Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) component of IDEA makes it mandatory for schools to provide free and appropriate education to all students, regardless of intellectual level and disability.

  • Genetic Basis of Intelligence and Learning

    • Approaches in cognitive genomics have been used to investigate the genetic causes for many learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, and neural disorders such as Down syndrome, autism, and Alzheimer's disease.
    • Down syndrome, for example, is a genetic syndrome marked by intellectual disability, and has implications for the ways in which children with Down syndrome learn.
    • In particular, strategies for meeting the needs of students with learning disabilities will become more informed.

  • Other Neurological Disorders

    • For example, people who have intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder can experience seizures, presumably because the developmental wiring malfunctions that caused their disorders also put them at risk for epilepsy.

  • Genetic and Environmental Impacts on Intelligence

    • Genetic causes for many learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, and neural disorders, such as Down syndrome, autism, and Alzheimer's disease have been investigated by the field of cognitive genomics, the study of genes as they relate to human cognition.
    • Down syndrome, for example, is a genetic syndrome marked by intellectual disability, and has implications for the ways in which children with Down syndrome learn.

  • Educational Psychology

  • Muscular Dystrophy

    • Although not typically affecting intellectual abilities, a subset of MD patients do exhibit cognitive impairment, behavioral, vision, and speech problems likely linked to MD, and this is seen particularly in DMD.
    • MD-affected individuals with susceptible intellectual impairment are diagnosed through molecular characteristics but not through problems associated with disability.

  • Being a Special Education Teacher

    • Special education or special needs education is the education of students with special needs or learning disabilities in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs.
    • Common special needs include learning disabilities, communication disorders, emotional and behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, and developmental disabilities.
    • It is important to note that intellectual giftedness is a difference in learning and can also benefit from specialized teaching techniques or different educational programs, but the term "special education" is generally used to specifically indicate instruction of students whose special needs reduce their ability to learn independently or in an ordinary classroom, and gifted education is handled separately.
    • The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that students with special needs be provided with a Free Appropriate Public Education in the Least Restrictive Environment that is appropriate to the student's needs.

  • Civil Rights of People with Disabilities

    • Disabled Americans face limited access to public places and institutions that civil rights legislation seeks to address.
    • Outfitting trains and buses with ramps in order to improve access to transportation for disabled persons is an example of a measure designed to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
    • Disability is an umbrella term that includes impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions.
    • Disabled persons face unique social challenges that may limit their participation in civic life.
    • Throughout the 1970s and 80s, the disability rights act gained increasing visibility and a number of policy successes, including increased accessibility of public places and increased resources for people with developmental disabilities.