intellectual disability
noun
Note: The term intellectual disability is now preferred over mental retardation in medical, educational, and regulatory contexts, as well as in general use. The term mental retardation is increasingly considered offensive, though it was the dominant term into the second decade of the current century.
Examples of intellectual disability in a Sentence
Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 May 2024
Currently, Special Olympians (also referred to as Unified athletes or adaptive athletes) compete alongside Paralympic athletes, who have physical impairments but not intellectual disabilities.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 16 May 2024
Some people with autism can have delays in speech development and some can have a degree of intellectual disability.
—David Myles, Baltimore Sun, 11 Apr. 2024
Hartman's daughter Morgan has a rare condition called Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome, which the National Institutes of Health describes as an overgrowth and intellectual disability syndrome.
—Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
Per the lawsuit, Brown had a mild intellectual disability, chromosomal deficiency disorder, and other health complications.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 8 May 2024
The suit specified that Brown had a chromosomal deficiency disorder, a developmental delay, a mild intellectual disability and high blood pressure.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Studies have linked acephate to reductions in IQ and verbal comprehension and autism with intellectual disability.
—Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 1 May 2024
One awaiting the governor's signature would involuntarily commit certain criminal defendants for inpatient treatment and temporarily remove their gun rights if they are ruled incompetent for trial due to intellectual disability or mental illness.
—CBS News, 23 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'intellectual disability.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near intellectual disability
Cite this Entry
“Intellectual disability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intellectual%20disability. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
intellectual disability
nounNote: The term intellectual disability is now preferred over mental retardation in medical, educational, and regulatory contexts, as well as in general use. The term mental retardation is increasingly considered offensive, though it was the dominant term into the second decade of the current century.
Victor R. Martinez
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