The expression “mental retardation and developmental disabilities” was adopted in June 2006 after members of the American Association for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD). Previously, it was called the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR).
There are at least three known names for this group: “mental retardation,” “mental retardation,” and “mental retardation and developmental disabilities.”
AIDD has changed the name, definition, diagnosis and classification as a result of advances in the various disciplines related to this topic: medicine, psychology and education.
A term that avoids stigma
The previous concept has been modified by this new one so that labels or social prejudices are minimized such as: visions focused on deficits, on slow and unbalanced mental functioning, etc.
The new title seeks to take advantage of a new conception of development that feeds off the contributions of sociocultural and ecological theories.
It allows a functional vision of development This means that the individual can have different contexts and throughout the life cycle. In turn, this contributes to the concept of disability, which is fed by the contribution of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and from the WHOand this recognizes the social origin of the difficulties faced by a person with DI and D.
On the other hand, it also understands intellectual disability as a developmental disability that has much in common with other developmental problems that can affect children.
The aims of this monograph are.
In this paper We will attempt to present a contemporary vision of intellectual disability and development based on a supportive paradigm. and in conceptualizing this disability as a function of the interaction between an individual’s independent functioning and the contexts in which they live, learn, work, and enjoy; provide a general framework and some tools for assessing students with DIyD; and offer several responses to facilitate their development.
What do we mean by intellectual and developmental disabilities?
First, we are going to define intellectual disability and the categories that make it up.
What is intellectual disability?
There are four approximations in this area:
Social Approximation These people have historically been defined as mentally retarded or handicapped because they could not socially adapt to their environment. Emphasis on intellectual difficulties did not emerge later, and for some time it was the inappropriate social behavior that was of most concern.
Clinical Approach : With the boom in the clinical model, the purpose of the definition was changed. It continued to focus on the symptoms and clinical manifestations of various syndromes. More attention was paid to the organic and pathological aspects of ID.
Intellectual Approach Because of the interest in intelligence as a construct and intelligence tests, the identification approach underwent another change. This involves an emphasis on the degree of intelligence of these individuals, expressed in terms of IQ. The most important consequence has been the identification and classification of people with ID based on intelligence test scores.
Intellectual and Social Approach Until 1959, the importance of these two components in the concept of ID was not recognized: low levels of intellectual functioning and difficulties in adaptive behavior, which have persisted to the present day.
Theoretical and practical models of intellectual disability
Models by which people with intellectual disabilities have been conceptualized and which have informed certain professional practices.