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Definition and Diagnosis

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Handbook of Intellectual Disabilities

Part of the book series: Autism and Child Psychopathology Series ((ACPS))

Abstract

Intellectual disability (ID) occurs in 1% of the population and is characterized by significant, lifelong intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits. Further, medical and psychiatric concerns as well as challenging behaviors frequently co-occur with ID. Individuals with ID may vary widely in their degree of impairment across these core and associated symptoms, making individualized, comprehensive evaluation key in establishing an appropriate conceptualization of impairment. Quality assessment and the development of a complete case conceptualization are also imperative in informing service provision. As such, the current chapter briefly reviews the historical context of ID, explains the current definition of ID, and addresses strategies for effective diagnosis of ID across the lifespan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Autism Spectrum Disorder Research and Clinical Program, Child Study Center at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York, NY, USA

    Paige Cervantes, Rebecca Shalev & Lauren Donnelly

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  1. Paige Cervantes
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  2. Rebecca Shalev
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  3. Lauren Donnelly
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Correspondence to Paige Cervantes .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    Johnny L. Matson

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Cervantes, P., Shalev, R., Donnelly, L. (2019). Definition and Diagnosis. In: Matson, J.L. (eds) Handbook of Intellectual Disabilities. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20843-1_3

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