Current estimates suggest that between one and three percent of people living in the United States will receive a diagnosis of mental retardation. Mental retardation, a condition characterized by deficits in intellectual capabilities and adaptive behavior, can be particularly hard to diagnose in the mild range of the disability. The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) provides income support and medical benefits to individuals with cognitive limitations who experience significant problems in their ability to perform work and may therefore be in need of governmental support. Addressing the concern that SSA’s current procedures are consistent with current scientific and professional practices, this book evaluates the process used by SSA to determine eligibility for these benefits. It examines the adequacy of the SSA definition of mental retardation and its current procedures for assessing intellectual capabilities, discusses adaptive behavior and its assessment, advises on ways to combine intellectual and adaptive assessment to provide a complete profile of an individual's capabilities, and clarifies ways to differentiate mental retardation from other conditions.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• COMMITTEE ON DISABILITY DETERMINATION FOR MENTAL RETARDATION
• BOARD ON BEHAVIORAL, COGNITIVE, AND SENSORY SCIENCES
• Acknowledgments
• Executive Summary
  • COMMITTEE CHARGE
  • ADEQUACY OF THE SSA DEFINITION
  • INTELLIGENCE AND ITS ASSESSMENT
  • ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR AND ITS ASSESSMENT
  • COMBINING IQ AND ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR DATA
  • DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS
  • SSA PROGRAMS IN CONTEXT
  • RESEARCH
• Chapter 1. Introduction
  • SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION DISABILITY PROGRAMS
  • HISTORY OF MENTAL RETARDATION DEFINITIONS
  • PREVALENCE OF MENTAL RETARDATION
  • ISSUES THAT PROMPTED THE CURRENT STUDY
  • STUDY APPROACH
• Chapter 2. The Policy Context
  • SSI AND DI RECIPIENTS
  • SSI AND DI IN THE CONTEXT OF FEDERAL SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS
  • IMPORTANCE OF SSI AND DI BENEFITS IN SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEMS
  • CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• Chapter 3. The Role of Intellectual Assessment
  • HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THEORY AND PRACTICE
  • INTELLIGENCE TESTS COMMONLY USED IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF MENTAL RETARDATION
  • ASSESSMENT CONDITIONS THAT AFFECT INTELLIGENCE TEST SCORES
  • USE OF TOTAL TEST SCORES AND PART SCORES
  • MULTIDIMENSIONAL VERSUS UNIDIMENSIONAL MEASURES OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING
  • PSYCHOMETRIC STANDARDS
  • CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• Chapter 4. The Role of Adaptive Behavior Assessment
  • NATURE AND DEFINITION OF ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR
  • ASSESSMENT OF ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR
  • ASSESSMENT ISSUES IN ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION
  • RESEARCH AREAS
  • CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• Chapter 5. The Relationship of Intelligence and Adaptive Behavior
  • DIAGNOSTIC CONSTRUCT OF MENTAL RETARDATION
  • RELATIONSHIP OF ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR AND INTELLECTUAL FUNCTIONING
  • SSI AND DI ELIGIBILITY DECISIONS
  • CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• Chapter 6. Differential Diagnosis
  • CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION
  • INFANTS, TODDLERS, AND PRESCHOOLERS
  • SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN
  • HIGH SCHOOL YEARS AND ADOLESCENCE
  • ADULTS
  • ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
  • CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• References
• Biographical Sketches

The study was supported by Contract No. 0600-99-38803 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Social Security Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Supported by contract between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Social Security Administration Contract No. 0600-99-38803

Suggested citation:

National Research Council (2002) Mental Retardation: Determining Eligibility for Social Security Benefits. Committee on Disability Determination for Mental Retardation. Daniel J. Reschly, Tracy G. Myers, and Christine R. Hartel, editors. Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.