Causes and prevalence:

Prevalence ratings for intellectual disabilities are

inconsistent, highlighting the often-hidden nature of
intellectual disabilities within other disability
classifications. The U.S. Department of Education
reports 5,971,495 students receiving special
education services in the 2003-2004 school year. Of
that number, 9.6%, or 573,264 students, received
special education services based on a classification
of intellectually disabled.
Sometimes intellectual disabilities are caused by
genetic conditions. Abnormal genes inherited from
the parents,
Errors when genes combine
Examples of genetic conditions are
Down syndrome: Down syndrome (DS or DNS), also known
as trisomy 21, is a genetic syndrome caused by the presence of all, or
part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is typically associated
with physical growth delays, characteristic facial features, and mild to
moderate intellectual disability. The average IQ of a young adult with
Down syndrome is 50, equivalent to the mental age of an 8- or 9-yearold child, but this can vary widely.

Fragile x syndrome:
And phenylketonuria:

 Other causes are problems during pregnancy:

When the fetus does not develop properly in the
womb: There may be a problem with how the babys
cells divides it grows.
A woman may drink alcohol, uses drugs, smokes, or
gets an infection like rubella during pregnancy.
There could be problems during the birth process
such as oxygen getting cut off resulting in intellectual
disabilities
Diseases during childhood such as mumps, whopping
cough or meningitis can cause intellectual disabilities
Extreme malnutrition can also cause MID
Not getting proper medical care, and being exposed
to lead, mercury or other poisonous substances at a
young age can cause MID as well
Prevalence: Intellectual disabilities are the most
common developmental disabilities approximately
6.5 million people in the USA have MID more than
545,000 children (6-21) have MID and receive special
education services in public schools under this
category in IDEA
In fact, 1 in every 10 children under IDEA have some
form of intellectual disability.