Intellectual DisabilityPersons with Intellectual Disability is a term used to describe people with significantly below average in thought process (cognitive ability). Both children and adults with this condition show the following characteristics: • Delays in oral language development • Deficits in memory skills • Difficulty learning social rules • Difficulty with problem solving skills • Delays in the development of adaptive behaviors such as self-help or self-care skills • Lack of social inhibitors (behaviour relating to the norms and values of a given society). Persons with Intellectual impairment have difficulties with thought process, learning and problem solving. The identification of intellectual functioning is based on the intelligence quotient test. Using this test, scores of 90 through to 109 are classified as average. People with scores less than 70 may be considered to be handicapped by an intellectual impairment depending on how well they function in key areas of every day life. The following ranges, based on Standard Scores of intelligence tests, reflect the categories of the American Association of Mental Retardation, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-TR, and the International Classification of Diseases-10: Classification Intelligence Quotient • Profound Mental Retardation - Below 20 • Severe Mental Retardation – 20-34 • Moderate Mental Retardation- 35-49 • Mild Mental Retardation- 50-69 • Borderline intellectual Functioning 70-79 The term mental retardation has been replaced by developmental disability in 2006 by the American Association on Mental Retardation An intellectual impairment may become apparent in early life or in the case of persons with mild condition may no be diagnosed until school age or later.
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