Intellectual Disability: Definition, Classification, and Systems of Supports (11th Edition)

AAIDD presents its first official definition of the term “intellectual disability” (formerly mental retardation) in the 11th (2010) edition of its much-awaited Definition Manual written by a committee of 18 international experts in disability.

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Recent News

03/03/11
AAIDD to publish a User’s Guide to accompany its latest definition manual
AAIDD will publish a User’s Guide to accompany the 11th Edition of Intellectual Disability: Definition, Classification, and Systems of Supports.

09/22/10
Slides for the webinar on individualized supports planning are now available
Download slides to be presented during the September 27 webinar on "Individualized Supports Planning in Special Education: Applications to Students with Intellectual Disability".

09/01/10
Free webinar on individualized supports planning for students with intellectual disability
Join us for a free webinar on September 27, 2010 at 3:30 pm US EST to learn how to create a meaningful system of supports for students with intellectual disability.

08/26/10
AAIDD definition system cited in SSA’s proposed revision of medical criteria for evaluating mental disorders
The AAIDD 2010 definition of intellectual disability is now part of the Social Security Administration’s Revised Medical Criteria for Mental Disorders as it appears in the Federal Register on August 19, 2010.

06/17/10
Presentations made at workshop in Rhode Island now available
Presentations made by authors as part of a one-day workshop at the AAIDD 2010 annual meeting in Rhode Island are now availble online.

04/13/10
AAIDD response to DSM-V definition of Intellectual Disability
Members of the AAIDD Terminology and Classification Committee, also authors of the 11th edition of the AAIDD definition manual provide feedback to the DSM-V ASD and Developmental Disorders Group. The AAIDD T&C Committee proposed three changes to the DSM-V operational definition of intellectual disability.

12/11/09
Q&A: Three co-authors describe different facets of the new definition manual in these videos
Three co-authors describe different facets of the new 11th edition of AAIDD’s definition manual: latest thinking, applications to the legal community and applications to special education.

Reader Reviews

“An indispensable desk-top reference and primer on assessing intellectual disability that includes a compendium of leading practices on structuring effective life-long supports.” Renee L. Pietrangelo, CEO, ANCOR-Providers offering quality supports to people with disabilities

- Renee Pietrangelo
CEO, ANCOR

“The ninth and tenth editions of the AAIDD Definition Manual have been indispensable to courts and other policy makers seeking to understand intellectual disabilities. I am confident that they will find this new edition to be similarly essential reading.”

- James E. Ellis
Professor of Law, University of New Mexico

“The AAIDD Definition framework offers a wonderful overview to university students in psychology and educational sciences and makes them about supports within the community as a direct way to influence the quality of life of the children and adults they work with.”

- Geert Van Hove
Professor, Ghent University, Belgium

“AAIDD has influenced the way we define and classify students in schools for many decades. This edition goes further than any of the previous manuals in providing guidance to school-based professionals who work with students with intellectual disability. Specifically, the 11th edition now includes a chapter on “Implications for Education” with sections on the use of the definition and classification systems in school settings, best educational practices, and the application of a supports-based model within the school context.”

- James Patton
Adjunct Associate Professor of Special Education, University of Texas at Austin

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