Variations in Intelligence: Intellectual Disability and Giftedness

Variations in Intelligence: Intellectual Disability and Giftedness

Intellectual disability is assessed based on cognitive capacity (IQ) and adaptive functioning, or how well the person handles everyday life tasks (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, 2021). About 2% of the United States population, mostly whom are male, fulfill the criteria for intellectual developmental disorder, but some lose the diagnosis as they get older and learn to better function in society (NASEM et al, 2015). A particular vulnerability of people with low IQ is that they may be taken advantage of by others (Greenspan et al., 2001).

Giftedness refers to those who have an IQ of 130 or higher (Pezzuti et al., 2022). Some gifted students may have difficulties forming social relationships, but most gifted children are well-adjusted. An ongoing study started by Lewis Terman and his colleagues in 1921 has tracked about 1,500 gifted high school students across their lifespan and found that they had above-average social relationships and many entered prestigious careers (Terman & Oden, 1959). However, Terman may have influenced the academic and professional success of his participants by encouraging them to apply to certain colleges or writing them recommendation letters for jobs (Leslie, 2001).

While kids who are gifted have higher scores of general intelligence “g,” they often exhibit different types of giftedness. They might be particularly good at math, art, science, music, sports, carpentry, and so on. Many scholars debate whether it is appropriate and beneficial to label some children as “gifted” in school and provide them with accelerated special classes that are not available to everyone. While doing so may help the gifted kids, it could also isolate them from most of their peers, and create unfair opportunities compared to those who are not considered “gifted” (Colangelo & Assouline, 2009).