Chapter 10 - Intellectual Disabilities

Summary

The field of intellectual disabilities (formerly referred to as mental retardation) has a long and complicated relationship to the field of intelligence. The three issues that dominate the history of intellectual disabilities vis-vis intelligence are: developmental difference controversy; undifferentiated versus differentiated approaches to intellectual disabilities; and motivation, different life experiences, and other nonintellectual concerns. Many issues relate to the intellectual profiles of persons with a specific cause, or etiology, of intellectual disabilities. Everyday adaptive functioning of persons with intellectual disabilities highlights the difficulties inherent in connecting intelligence with real-life functioning and problems. To many researchers, persons with intellectual disabilities simply display lower levels of intelligence and offer few ties to their specific fields. The fields of intelligence and intellectual disabilities continue to function somewhat independently, and only a handful of researchers interested in intelligence are also interested in intelligence as it pertains to persons with disabilities.