Which term means significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning with deficits in adaptive behavior originating during the developmental period?

• A. Mental Retardation
• B. Learning Disorder
• C. Intellectual Disability
• D. Cognitive Impairment

Answer: (C)

Intellectual Disability is the term that captures both significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning and deficits in adaptive behavior that originate during the developmental period. In practice, this means an IQ roughly at or below 70 and substantial challenges in daily life skills—conceptual, social, and practical—beginning before age 18. This combination of intellectual limitation with adaptive difficulties is what sets it apart from other conditions. The older term mental retardation is outdated and stigmatizing; a learning disorder involves specific academic skills with generally normal overall intelligence, and cognitive impairment is a broader label that doesn’t necessarily specify onset in development or adaptive functioning.