CMN 554 -
Module 1
Primary
Study Guide
Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Mental
Health 2026 UPDATE
DSM-5-TR Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Intellectual Disability: Diagnostic Criteria PG 37 PDF 133
Intellectual developmental disorder (intellectual disability) is a disorder with onset during the
developmental period that includes both intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits in
conceptual, social, and practical domains. The following three criteria must be met:
A. Deficits in intellectual functions, such as reasoning, problem solving, planning, abstract
thinking, judgment, academic learning, and learning from experience, confirmed by both
clinical assessment and individualized, standardized intelligence testing.
B. Deficits in adaptive functioning that result in failure to meet developmental and sociocultural
standards for personal independence and social responsibility. Without ongoing support, the
adaptive deficits limit functioning in one or more activities of daily life, such as communication,
social participation, and independent living, across multiple environments, such as home,
school, work, and community.
C. Onset of intellectual and adaptive deficits during the developmental period.
Note: The term intellectual developmental disorder is used to clarify its relationship with the WHO
ICD-11 classification system, which uses the term Disorders of Intellectual Development. The
equivalent term intellectual disability is placed in parentheses for continued use. The medical and
research literature use both terms, while intellectual disability is the term in common use by
educational and other professions, advocacy groups, and the lay public. In the United States, Public
Law 111-256 (Rosa’s Law) changed all references to “mental retardation” in federal laws to
“intellectual disability.”
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Specify current severity (see Table 1):
F70 Mild
F71 Moderate
F72 Severe F73
Profound
Intellectual Disability: Severity levels for intellectual disability PG 39 PDF 134
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TABLE 1
Severity Conceptual domain Social domain Practical domain
level
Mild For preschool Compared with The individual may
children, there may typically developing function age
be no obvious age-mates, the appropriately in
conceptual individual is personal care.
differences. For immature in social Individuals need
school-age children interactions. For some support with
and adults, there are example, there may complex daily living
difficulties in learning be difficulty in tasks in comparison
academic skills accurately perceiving to peers. In
involving reading, peers’ social cues. adulthood, supports
writing, arithmetic, Communication, typically involve
time, or money, with conversation, and grocery shopping,
support needed in language are more transportation, home
one or more areas to concrete or immature and child-care
meet age-related than expected for age. organizing, nutritious
expectations. In There may be food preparation, and
adults, abstract difficulties regulating banking and money
thinking, executive emotion and behavior management.
function (i.e., in age-appropriate Recreational skills
planning, strategizing, fashion; these resemble those of
priority setting, and difficulties are noticed age-mates, although
cognitive flexibility), by peers in social judgment related to
and situations. There is well-being and
short-term memory, limited understanding organization around
as well as functional of risk in social recreation requires
use of academic situations; social support. In
skills (e.g., reading, judgment is immature adulthood,
money for age, and the competitive
management), are person is at risk of employment is often
impaired. There is a being manipulated by seen in jobs that do
somewhat concrete others (gullibility). not emphasize
approach to conceptual skills.
problems and Individuals generally
solutions compared need support to
with age-mates. make health care
decisions and legal
decisions, and to
learn to perform
a skilled vocation
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competently.
Support is typically
needed to raise a
family.
Moderate All through The individual shows The individual can
development, the marked differences care for personal
Individual’s from peers in social needs involving
conceptual skills lag and communicative eating, dressing,
markedly behind behavior across elimination, and
those of peers. For development. hygiene as an
preschoolers, Spoken language is adult, although an
language and pre- typically a primary extended period
academic skills tool for social of teaching and time
develop slowly. For communication but is needed for the
school-age children, is much less complex individual to become
progress in reading, than that of peers. independent in these
writing, mathematics, Capacity for areas, and reminders
and understanding of relationships is may be needed.
time and money evident in ties to Similarly,
occurs slowly across family and friends, participation in all
the school years and and the individual household tasks can
is markedly limited may have successful be achieved by
compared with that of friendships across adulthood, although
peers. For adults, life and sometimes an extended period
academic skill romantic relations in of teaching is
development is adulthood. However, needed, and ongoing
typically at an individuals may not supports will typically
elementary level, and perceive or interpret occur for adult-level
support is required social cues performance.
for all use of accurately. Independent
academic skills in Social judgment and employment in jobs
work and personal decision making that require limited
life. Ongoing abilities are limited, conceptual and
assistance on a daily and caretakers must communication skills
basis is needed to assist the person with can be achieved, but
complete conceptual life decisions. considerable support
tasks of day-to-day Friendships with from coworkers,
life,and others may typically developing supervisors, and
take over these peers are often others is needed to
responsibilities fully affected by manage social
for the individual. communication expectations, job
or social limitations. complexities, and
Significant ancillary
social and responsibilities such
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