NIS: Characteristics and needs of people with intellectual disability who have higher IQs

2010

Marc J. Tasse
[email protected]
614-685-3193

In this article, we describe the group of individuals with intellectual disability and higher IQs and the challenges that they face in life. Individuals with an intellectual disability who have higher IQs struggle in society. This is true despite the fact that all individuals with intellectual disability typically demonstrate strengths in functioning along with relative limitations. This group of people with intellectual disability who have higher IQs constitute about 80% to 90% of all individuals with intellectual disability. (Intellectual disability is used to address the same population of individuals as the term mental retardation [Schalock et al., 2007].) Frequently, there are no identifiable causes for the disability. Most of these individuals are physically indistinguishable from the general population because no specific physical features are associated with intellectual disability at higher IQs. Similarly, unlike in the case of certain genetic ??behavioral phenotypes,?? no definite behavioral features are specifically associated with intellectual disability with higher IQs. Personalities also vary widely, as in the rest of the human population: Some individuals with intellectual disability are passive, placid, and dependent, whereas others are industrious, cooperative, appropriately assertive, or even aggressive and impulsive

Peer-reviewed publications in scholarly journals Published/In Press

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