Behavioral and Psychological

Characteristics of Intellectual
Disability
Presented By: Shafaq Arif
 Introduction
Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) are at heightened
risk for developing behavior problems and mental disorder, a
phenomenon known as dual diagnosis.
This increased risk is well-documented in adulthood, and most
researchers estimate that between 20% and 35% of adults with ID
have psychiatric disorders.
 Dual diagnosis presents particular challenges for individuals of
ID and their caregivers, resulting in:
 Dual diagnosis presents particular challenges for individuals of ID and
their caregivers, resulting in:
 Family caregiving burden.
 Increasing the likelihood of being placed out of the home in residential
treatment settings.
 Putting individuals at greater risk for social isolation.
 Failed attempts at community living.
 Poor academic and vocational outcomes.
  Impulse Control

 Frustration Tolerance
Behavioral
Characteristics  Aggression/
Aggressive Behavior

 Adaptive Behavior
 Behavioral Characteristics

Most intellectually disabled children are aware that they are not
as intellectually adept as their peers. This knowledge can lead to:
 Self-esteem issues, as emotional and behavioral problems.
 Younger children may be withdrawn or anxious, or they may
exhibit angry or attention-seeking outbursts.
 Teenagers may exhibit signs of depression. These problems, if not
treated, can impede a child’s progress.
 IMPULSE CONTROL

 One problem with intellectual disability is impulse

control.
People with ID have trouble in connecting cause and
effect.
This in turn causes problems with impulse control.
 Frustration Tolerance
A related problem to impulse
control is poor frustration
tolerance.

 When an impulse is
inhibited, it requires the
ability to tolerate a bit of
frustration.
 This ability is called
frustration tolerance.
 Frustration tolerance is an important developmental skill.
 Itallows people to comfortably endure the small frustrations of
everyday life.
 Frustration Tolerance also enables people to build confidence.

 People with ID respond to frustration in different ways:

• impulsive, stubborn, and aggressive manner.

• passivity, withdrawal, and compliance.

• cause aggression toward caregivers and lead to

self-injurious behavior.
 Aggressive behavior
 Aggressive behavior not
only has negative
consequences for the
environment of the person
but also for the aggressor.

 Physical injury, interference

with social activities of
aggressive behavior for the
aggressor.
 Staff and family members can experience negative emotions,
stress, physical injuries and fear of assault or burn out.
 Aggressive behavior in persons with ID, often display multiple
forms of aggressive behavior at the same time (e.g., physical,
verbal and/ or auto-aggressive behavior).
 People with mild ID or borderline intellectual functioning are at a
clearly increased risk of developing mental health problems.
 Irritability and aggression at high rates.
 ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOUR
Definition
“Adaptive behavior refers to the skills that people need to
function independently at home, at school and in the community.”
Children with ID have substantial deficits in adaptive
behavior. These limitations can take many forms and tend to occur
across domains of functioning.
 Limitation in self-care and daily living skills and social
relationships are common characteristics of individuals with ID.
 Self-Care and Daily Living Skills: Most individuals with ID
who required extensive supports must learn basic self-care skills,
such as dressing, eating and hygiene.
 Social relationships: Making and sustaining friendships and
personal relationships presents a significant challenges for many
children with ID. Poor communication skills, inability to
recognize the emotional state of others, can leave to social
isolation.
 Psychological Characteristics

 Psychopathology in children with ID may be associated with certain aspects

of self-image and personality.
 Unlike, their developing counter-parts, children with ID generally show more
global and less of themselves.
 These views may set the stage for more negative or unrealistic appraisals of
the self over time, which may be exacerbated by repeated exposures to failure.
 Failurethen contributes to feelings of uncertainty and “learned helplessness”,
which in turn linked to depression and other problems.
Self-image and • show more global
Personality • less of themselves.
Unrealistic • exacerbated by repeated
Appraisals of Self
Over Time
exposures to failure.
• uncertainty and “learned
Failure helplessness”,
• depression and other problems.
Psychological  Personality Styles
Characteristics
 Low Self-Esteem
 Personality Styles
Personality styles of ID children tied to psychopathology.
An outer-directed orientation whereby children look to
others (instead of themselves) for solutions to difficult
problems.
Aberrant social styles such as being either too wary or too
disinhibited with others.
Low expectancy or enjoyment of success.
 Low Self-Esteem
Self-esteem naturally develops as children learn to solve
problems. The ability to solve problems builds self-
confidence.
Skillful problem solving requires sustained attention and
persistence in the face of difficulty. These abilities are
limited in persons with intellectual disability.
Thus, a low self-esteem may develop.
Psychiatric disorders related to low self-esteem, such
as depression, may accompany intellectual disabilities.

However, many people with ID are quite happy and

content. They don’t exhibit problematic behavior.
 Academic Characteristics
Intellectual disability can be defined as a significantly reduced
ability to:
 Understand new or complex information.
 Learn new skills.
 To cope independently including social functioning.
There are number of characteristics that may have a
significant impact on an individual’s learning, including:
Difficulty understanding new information

Difficulties comprehending abstract

concepts.
Difficulties with communication and
social skills
Difficulty in sequential processing of
information

Slow cognitive processing time