E-mail this page to a friend Larger Font Size Choose an illness or disability Choose an illness or disability Alzheimer's Disease Amputation Arthritis Asperger Syndrome Attention Deficit Disorder Autism Batten Disease Burn Injuries Celiac Disease Cerebral Palsy Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Crohn's Disease Cystic Fibrosis Dementia Diabetes Down Syndrome Dwarfism Epilepsy Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Fibromyalgia Hearing Loss and Deafness HIV and AIDS Huntington's Disease Intellectual Disability Learning Disabilities Lupus Multiple Sclerosis Narcolepsy Pervasive Developmental Disorders Polio and Post-Polio Syndrome Psoriasis Rare Diseases Scleroderma Speech and Language Impairments Spina Bifida Spinal Cord Injury Thyroid Diseases Traumatic Brain Injury Tuberous Sclerosis Turner Syndrome Ulcerative Colitis Unintentional Injury Vision Problems and Blindness Williams Syndrome

Intellectual Disability

Home > Illnesses and Disabilities Home > Types of Illnesses & Disabilities > Intellectual Disability

Intellectual disability (formerly called mental retardation) is a term used when you are limited in your ability to:

• learn, think, solve problems, and make sense of the world (called intellectual functioning)
• live independently (called adaptive behavior)

Intellectual functioning, or IQ, is usually measured with an IQ test. The average score is 100. If you score below 70 or 75, you are said to have an intellectual disability.

Adaptive behavior is measured by looking at:

• daily living skills, such as getting dressed, going to the bathroom, and feeding yourself
• understanding what is said and being able to answer
• social skills with peers, family members, adults, and others

Causes of intellectual disability include:

• genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome ("genetic" means that it runs in families)
• fetal alcohol syndrome
• problems during pregnancy or childbirth
• childhood diseases like whooping cough or measles
• poor nutrition (not eating right)
• being exposed to poisons like lead or mercury

There is no cure for intellectual disability. But most people with intellectual disability can learn to do many things. It just takes them more time and effort than others.

Additional Resources

Publications

1.   Developmental Disabilities — This page provides links to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on different developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation.

   http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/

2.     Mental Retardation — This publication discusses why the main causes of mental retardation 30 years ago are no longer causes today. It also discusses research efforts to further reduce the number of children born with mental retardation or reduce the effects of mental retardation.

   http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/MentalRetardation.pdf

3. Intellectual Disability (Copyright © NICHCY) — This fact sheet provides basic background information on mental retardation, what causes it, and how it's diagnosed. Also, it gives useful tips to parents and teachers about dealing with mental retardation and how to provide a better environment for the child.

   http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs8txt.htm

Organizations

1.   Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, HHS
2.   President's Committee for People With Intellectual Disabilities , ACF, HHS
3. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
4. American Network of Community Options and Resources
5. Association of University Centers on Disabilities
6. Devereux Foundation
7. March of Dimes Foundation
8. National Birth Defects Center
9. The Arc

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated May 15, 2008.