intellectual disability

noun

: mild to severe impairment in intellectual ability equivalent to an IQ of 70 to 75 or below that is accompanied by significant limitations in social, practical, and conceptual skills (as in interpersonal communication, reasoning, or self-care) necessary for independent daily functioning and that has an onset before age 18

Note: The term intellectual disability is now preferred over mental retardation in medical, educational, and regulatory contexts, as well as in general use. The term mental retardation is increasingly considered offensive, though it was the dominant term into the second decade of the current century.

Examples of intellectual disability in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His younger sister, Rosemary Kennedy, had been born with intellectual disabilities — and her treatment is illustrative of some of the horrors of the asylum era. —Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024

In this study as well as in earlier ones, researchers have had little information on whether the parents’ themselves had autism, ADHD or an intellectual disability. —Linda Carroll, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024

Their mother, Ella Longoria, became a special needs teacher when Liza, the oldest sister, was born with an intellectual disability. —Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024

While most workers have intellectual disabilities that can include cerebral palsy or Down syndrome, federal regulations list blindness, alcoholism and drug addiction as qualifying disabilities for lower pay. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024

Pye’s lawyers cited their client’s intellectual disability as a reason the state should reconsider execution. —Andrew Jeong, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024

According to the report, the detainees included individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, intellectual disabilities and cancer. —Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024

Executions in the state have been on hold since 2010, when a Franklin County Circuit Court judge ruled death penalty regulations lacked safeguards to prevent the executions of people suffering from mental illness and intellectual disability, according to Louisville Public Media. —Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2024

Special Olympics Arizona For almost five decades, Special Olympics Arizona has provided year-round sports training and athletic competitions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. —Alexis Waiss, The Arizona Republic, 31 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

intellectual disability

noun

: mild to severe impairment in intellectual ability accompanied by significant limitations in skills (as in communication, reasoning, or self-care) necessary for independent daily functioning

Medical Definition

intellectual disability

noun

: mild to severe impairment in intellectual ability equivalent to an IQ of 70 to 75 or below that is accompanied by significant limitations in social, practical, and conceptual skills (as in interpersonal communication, reasoning, or self-care) necessary for independent daily functioning and that has an onset before age 18

Note: The term intellectual disability is now preferred over mental retardation in medical, educational, and regulatory contexts, as well as in general use. The term mental retardation is increasingly considered offensive, though it was the dominant term into the second decade of the current century.

… Rosa's Law, which changed references in federal law from "mental retardation" to "intellectual disability" and references to a mentally retarded individual to an individual with an intellectual disability.

—Victor R. Martinez