Trauma Focused Treatment in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities: A Group Treatment Approach

Abstract

<p>Intellectual Disability is a condition that affects one’s ability to learn and function independently. The condition is characterized by subaverage intellectual functioning and significant impairments in adaptive functioning, with onset occurring prior to age 18. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IVTR) uses the term Mental Retardations to describe these individual differences in cognitive and adaptive abilities. However, the term Mental Retardation has received significant criticism in recent years, and the term Intellectual Disability (ID) is being used with greater acceptance. In keeping with this trend, the term Intellectual Disability will be used throughout the current paper.</p>