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Title: Intellectual Disability: Definition, Diagnosis, Classification, and Systems of Supports (12th Ed.) Authors: Robert L. Schalock, Ruth Luckasson and Marc J. Tasse Publisher: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Publication Date: January 2021 Hardcover: 280 pages ISBN-13: 978-0-9983983-6-5 Available at: www.aaidd.org and www.amazon.com
The scientific definition of the term intellectual disability (ID) is relevant to the lives of people with ID and their families in very important ways - think personal identity and accessing needed services and supports such as early intervention, IEP, waiver services, Medicaid insurance, and Social Security Disability benefits. Think also about media and communication, and risk of stigma
This year, the premier professional organization in the field of ID published the updated definition of ID. This event occurs only about every 10 years (beginning in 1921), so it is worth paying attention to the 12th edition. In this article, we provide a summary of the updated definition of ID and other important aspects of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) manual.
To begin, the purposes of a definition of intellectual disability are to explain precisely the term, establish the meaning and boundaries of the term, and separate who is included within the term from those who are outside the term. Significant consequences can result from the way a term is defined. A definition can make someone eligible or ineligible for supports and services, subjected to something or not subjected to it (e.g., involuntary commitment), exempted from something or not exempted (e.g., from the death penalty), included or not included (as to protections against discrimination and equal opportunity), and/or entitled or not entitled (e.g., certain Social Security benefits or other financial benefits).
The definition of intellectual disability found in the 12th edition of the AAIDD manual (Schalock, Luckasson, & Tassé, 2021) is that intellectual disability is characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills....