Intellectual Disability (Intellectual Developmental Disorder)
As stated in a previous post, for the remainder of the year I will be working on various series discussing specific disorders within certain classifications. To start the series I will start off with the first classification within the DSM-5, Neurodevelopmental Disorders. These are disorders specific to the developmental stage within an individual’s life (i.e childhood)
As per the DSM-5;
Intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) is a disorder with onset during
the developmental period that includes both intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits
in conceptual, social, and practical domains.
This disorder means that during the developmental period of an individual they experience marked difficulty in both intellectual and adaptive function. Adaptive functioning refers to the everday functions that are specific to that age range (i.e. communication skills, social skills, self-care skills and academics)
There are three criterion that must be met for a person to be diagnosed with this disorder, they are as follows.
Criterion A
Deficits in intellectual functions, such as reasoning, problem solving, planning, abstract
thinking, judgment, academic learning, and learning from experience, confirmed by
both clinical assessment and individualized, standardized intelligence testing.
In this criterion an individual has difficulty in their intellectual functions. This is confirmed through a clinical assessment and standardized testing.
Criterion B
Deficits in adaptive functioning that result in failure to meet developmental and sociocultural standards for personal independence and social responsibility. Without ongoing support, the adaptive deficits limit functioning in one or more activities of daily life,
such as communication, social participation, and independent living, across multiple
environments, such as home, school, work, and community.
This criterion is specific to the adaptive functioning of the individual. Identified within the DSM-5 intro, issues with communication skills, social skills, self-care skills, and academics within the developmental stage is stunted and the individual needs extra support in order to function normally where others within this same developmental stage may not need this extra support.
Criterion C
Onset of intellectual and adaptive deficits during the developmental period.
This criterion is stating that the first two criterion is pervasive throughout this period of the individual’s life.
Once this diagnosis is found there are specifiers, Mild, Moderate, Severe and Profound, to explain the severity of this specific disorder. In the next post within this series I will delve further into the specifiers regarding this disability.
Excerpts in italics sourced from DSM-5
Picture sourced from https://www.acdd.org/defining-intellectual-disability/