Abstract
Intellectual disabilities are defined by significant impairments in both intelligence (i.e., IQ quotient of 70 or below) and adaptive functioning. Individuals with intellectual disabilities may be characterized as mild, moderate, severe, or profound, and epidemiological studies indicate a prevalence of 1–3% globally. This chapter begins with brief review of current research on intellectual disabilities and discussion of key symptoms. The primary focus of this chapter is to discuss the clinical assessment of intellectual disabilities, including evaluation tools and procedures, as well as special considerations when assessing for the disorder (e.g., comorbidity, age of individual). Two case illustrations are used to highlight differences in assessment procedures, diagnosis, and recommendations based on a child’s age. Finally, this chapter concludes with a review of available school-based and outpatient treatments.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
AAIDD (American Association on Intellectual Developmental Disabilities). Intellectual disability: definition, classification, and systems of supports. Washington, DC: AAIDD; 2010.
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5). Philadelphia: American Psychiatric Pub; 2013.
Carr A, Linehan C, O’Reilly G, Walsh PN, McEvoy J, editors. The handbook of intellectual disability and clinical psychology practice. London: Routledge; 2014.
Einfeld SL, Ellis LA, Emerson E. Comorbidity of intellectual disability and mental disorder in children and adolescents: a systematic review. J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2011;36(2):137–43.
Harris JC. Intellectual disability: Understanding its development, causes, classification, evaluation, and treatment. New York: Oxford University Press; 2006.
King B, Toth K, Hodapp RM, Dykens E. Intellectual disability. Comprehensive textbook of psychiatry; 2009. p. 3444–74.
Kendall K, Owen MJ. Intellectual disability and psychiatric comorbidity: challenges and clinical issues. Psychiatr Times. 2015;32(5):60–3.
Maulik PK, Mascarenhas MN, Mathers CD, Dua T, Saxena S. Prevalence of intellectual disability: a meta-analysis of population-based studies. Res Dev Disabil. 2011;32(2):419–36.
McCallum RS, editor. Handbook of nonverbal assessment. New York: Springer; 2017.
Riou EM, Ghosh S, Francoeur E, Shevell MI. Global developmental delay and its relationship to cognitive skills. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2009;51(8):600–6.
Schalock RL, Luckasson RA, Shogren KA. The renaming of mental retardation: understanding the change to the term intellectual disability. J Inf. 2007;45(2):116–24.
Shevell M. Global developmental delay and mental retardation or intellectual disability: conceptualization, evaluation, and etiology. Pediatr Clin. 2008;55(5):1071–84.
Srour M, Mazer B, Shevell MI. Analysis of clinical features predicting etiologic yield in the assessment of global developmental delay. Pediatrics. 2006;118(1):139–45.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Willoughby, B.L.B. (2019). Intellectual Disabilities. In: Wilson, H., Braaten, E. (eds) The Massachusetts General Hospital Guide to Learning Disabilities. Current Clinical Psychiatry. Humana Press, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98643-2_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98643-2_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Humana Press, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-98641-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-98643-2
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)