Counseling Youth Who Have Intellectual Disabilities

The American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2013) defines an intellectual disability (ID) as a disorder that begins during early development and is characterized by intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits.

These deficits affect individuals’ conceptual (i.e., understanding of the world), social, and practical functioning. Youth who have an ID struggle with basic skills that are needed for everyday survival. Deficits might be observed in communication struggles, understanding and obeying laws and rules, correctly identifying the motivations of others, and performing hygiene and self-care tasks such as eating, bathing, and dressing.