The latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or the DSM-5, the international authoritative source of psychiatry and psychology, provides a useful description of cognitive disability:
“Intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) is characterized by deficits in general mental abilities, such as reasoning, problem solving, planning, abstract thinking, judgment, academic learning, and learning from experience. The deficits result in impairment of adaptive functioning, such as that the individual fails to meet the standards of personal independence and social responsibility in one or more aspects of daily life, including communication, social participation, academic and occupational functioning, and personal independence at home or in community settings.”[1]
[1] APA DSM-5 31.
“Intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) is characterized by deficits in general mental abilities, such as reasoning, problem solving, planning, abstract thinking, judgment, academic learning, and learning from experience. The deficits result in impairment of adaptive functioning, such as that the individual fails to meet the standards of personal independence and social responsibility in one or more aspects of daily life, including communication, social participation, academic and occupational functioning, and personal independence at home or in community settings.”[1]
[1] APA DSM-5 31.
DiagnosisIntellectual disability (or ID) is considered as a neurodevelopmental disorder and is "diagnosed" by means of three criteria:[1]
The three categories of Intellectual Disability are:
[1] APA DSM-5 33. Find Hetta's complete thesis below: "Determining the Competency of Children with Developmental Delays to Testify in Criminal Trials." |
Causes and Features of Intellectual Disability
See Chapter 3 of Hetta's thesis for more information on developmental disabilities.
[1] MA Woythaler et al “Late Preterm Infants Have Worse 24-Month Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Than Term Infants” (2011) 127(3) Pediatrics e622 at e626 www.pediatrics.aappublications.org (accessed 02 October 2013); C Arpino et al “Preterm birth and neurodevelopmental outcome: a review” (2010) 26 Child’s Nervous System 1139 at 1143.
[2] Miller School Neuropsychological Assessment 65: Anoxia is a lack of oxygen supply to organs like the brain. [3] Anderson et al Developmental Neuropsychology 222: Meningitis is neurodevelopmental condition caused by inflammation of the membranes that encapsulate the brain. |
Reference as follows:
Van Niekerk, H.A. 2014. Determining the Competency of Children with Developmental Delays to Testify in Criminal Trials. Accessed on (insert date) from www.drhetta.weebly.com.
Van Niekerk, H.A. 2014. Determining the Competency of Children with Developmental Delays to Testify in Criminal Trials. Accessed on (insert date) from www.drhetta.weebly.com.