Help ID

Intellectual Disabilities (ID): Typical Characteristics

(Please note that these are generalizations. There is a great deal of individual variation)

Individuals with mild ID (formerly referred to as "educable" mental retardation):

• are likely to need only intermittent to limited support; • typically do not "look" different from their non-disabled peers; • often have only mild or moderate developmental delays, except in academics, which is often the

major area of deficit; • therefore, they are often not identified until they enter the school setting, where their cognitive

disability is most apparent; • typically, students with mild ID spend most of the school day in the regular classroom; • they typically attain 3rd- to 6th-grade academic achievement levels by the time they finish high

school; • as adults, many, though not all, with mild ID will be able to obtain independent employment; • many will marry, have children, and blend rather indistinguishably into the community; for those

who achieve total independence, the label of ID is no longer appropriate.

Individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (formerly called "trainable" mental retardation):

• will probably need limited to extensive supports; • they are more likely to have a recognizable syndrome (such as Down Syndrome); • therefore, may "look" different than their non-disabled peers; • their development is often significantly delayed; • they are typically identified as infants or toddlers; • most begin receiving special education during the preschool years; • they may be included in the regular classroom part of the school day; • but often spend much of the school day in a separate classroom where they learn adaptive living

skills; • as adults, most individuals with moderate to severe ID will not achieve total independence; • rather, they are likely to continue to need limited to extensive support such as that provided in

group homes or semi-independent living situations (SILs); some may continue to live with their parents;

• some individuals with moderate to severe ID may be able to succeed in modified competitive employment situations;

• however, many will work in supported, non-competitive settings such as sheltered workshops.

Individuals with profound ID:

• will generally need services at the pervasive level, typically throughout their life; • they are likely to have multiple disabilities, particularly in the areas of mobility and communication; • therefore, many use wheelchairs and alternate forms of communication; • their communication deficits make it difficult to accurately assess their intellectual functioning; • in educational settings, they may be placed along with students with moderate to severe ID or in

their own classroom; • some adults with this level of intellectual disability remain in institutional settings, but most

currently live in group homes.