ABSTRACT
This chapter considers individuals who have Intellectual disability (ID) with no known aetiology, sometimes called non-specific ID. It also considers whether individuals with non-specific ID show difficulties with Working Memory (WM) and other complex thinking skills, in relation to typically developing comparisons of comparable chronological age or mental age. Contributing factors to non-specific ID are complex, with a number of factors that could be implicated: environmental factors; pre-/post-natal complications; and genetic factors. An area of cognition often considered to be closely related to the WM system involves Executive Function (EF), with the central executive being heavily involved. Difficulties in adaptive functioning are related to and potentially caused or aggravated by the WM deficits of individuals with ID. Interventions and treatments can in some cases mitigate underlying causes, such as restricting phenylalanine in those with phenylketonuria, or be directed at comorbid physical and mental disorders to improve daily functioning and quality of life.
