Problems with the Current Definition

Abstract

As we saw in Chapter 1 there is now broad agreement as to what intellectual disability is, with AAIDD, ICD-I0 and DSM-IV all defining it as having a measured intellectual ability below a specified point, usually IQ 70 or 75, a deficit in adaptive functioning, also possibly below a specified point, all occurring before the age of 18 years. Intellectual disability is not, however, a naturally occurring condition such as, say smallpox or Down’s syndrome; it is a social construct, devised to do a job. It is a condition created by definition. Therefore one should ask if the current construct and definition are doing the job for which they were created.