ABSTRACT
Cultural context of learning and intellectual disabilities According to the DSM-5 (APA, 2013), intellectual disability is defined as ‘a disorder with onset during the developmental period that includes both intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits in conceptual, social and practical domains’ (p. 33) and is the equivalent to the term Intellectual Developmental Disorder in the ICD-10. The Department of Health in England (DoH, 2001) define people with a learning disability [sic] (intellectual disability) as having a reduced ability to understand new or complex information, or to learn new skills (impaired intelligence) with a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning), which started before adulthood and with a lasting effect on development (DoH, 2001). While MENCAP (a leading UK charity, described as the ‘voice’ of learning disability) simplistically define people with an ID as having
a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities – for example household tasks, socializing or managing money – which affects someone for their whole life. People with a learning disability tend to take longer to learn and may need support to develop new skills, understand complex information and interact with other people.
