| Popis: |
Since the introduction of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-I; APA, 1952), intellectual disability (ID) has been diagnosed based on the combination of low IQ (< 70 ± 5) and problems in adaptive functioning (i.e. the ability to live in an independent and responsible or age-appropriate manner). Until the most recent, fifth edition of the DSM (DSM-5; APA, 2013), the severity of ID was determined exclusively by IQ scores. Subsequently, IQ has had the most prominent role in diagnosing ID in clinical practice. The DSM-5 presented marked changes to the conceptualization of ID, including a shift from using IQ scores to using adaptive functioning to specify ID severity. This change was due to clinicians noting that the IQ-based severity levels, as outlined in the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000), did not necessarily correspond to the levels of support an individual needed. Rather, because individuals with varying IQs may face similar problems in adaptive functioning, the DSM-5 acknowledges that using adaptive functioning to specify ID severity offers better clinical utility. Given that the implementation of the DSM-5 in clinical practice is fairly recent, little is known about the consequences of the shift from emphasizing IQ scores to emphasizing adaptive functioning levels in ID. In the present study, we investigated if and how the revisions in the definition of ID from the DSM-IV-TR to the DSM-5 have changed the predictors of an ID diagnosis in clinical practice, and whether this has led to changes in the prevalence rate of ID. |
