ABSTRACT
Today, people with intellectual disabilities may expect to live longer and to have a more visible presence in the communities where they live. These global trends will have a corresponding impact on the daily practice of clinical psychologists working with people who have intellectual disabilities, their families, support staff and other agents. Traditionally, meticulous assessment of performance was a priority so that clinicians might allocate adults with intellectual disabilities to niches within special day centres, workshops and residences. But today’s practitioners are more likely to draw on constructs such as self-determination and quality of life to plan interventions on behalf of individuals in this group. Applying the American Association on Mental Retardation’s definition and system of classification of intellectual disability means that practitioners must identify what supports individuals need and at what intensity so that they can strive to live satisfying, ordinary lives (AAMR, 2002).
