What characterizes Intellectual Disabilities?

Intellectual disabilities are characterized primarily by significant limitations in intellectual functioning. This encompasses a range of cognitive abilities such as reasoning, problem-solving, planning, abstract thinking, judgment, academic learning, and learning from experience. These limitations significantly impact the individual's daily functioning, including their ability to communicate, socialize, and achieve independence in various aspects of life.

In addition to limitations in intellectual functioning, individuals with intellectual disabilities may also experience challenges in adaptive behavior, which includes skills necessary for daily living, such as self-care, social skills, and functional academics. The focus on cognitive impairments underscores the defining nature of intellectual disabilities, making this choice the most accurate reflection of their characteristics.

The other options refer to different conditions or characteristics that do not align with the defining traits of intellectual disabilities. For example, severe physical limitations may be associated with specific physical disabilities but are not a characteristic of intellectual disabilities. Repetitive and ritualistic behaviors are often linked to developmental disorders such as autism, rather than intellectual disabilities specifically. Disorders affecting elderly populations relate more to age-related cognitive decline, which is also distinct from the foundational concept of intellectual disabilities.