Talk:Intellectual disability

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 7 May 2024 and 12 August 2024. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Haleystinson (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Kayree644900, Yliu2350, Carterrrd, Maria.arriaga22, RiShebaB13, Kptl0304.

— Assignment last updated by Rahneli (talk) 00:49, 10 June 2024 (UTC)

I see the page being frequently edited by IP users simply by adding the word back to the article. Should we simply edit-filter unregistered users with this word? irisChronomia (talk) 06:52, 22 May 2025 (UTC)

There's a new article on Mild intellectual disability, but given that most Intellectual disability is mild, there is heavy overlap. It's not clear that a separate article is needed, so I suggest consolidating the two into this, the broader topic. Klbrain (talk) 10:22, 4 January 2026 (UTC)

• Tentative oppose - It depends on the potential for expanson of the new article. If there are plans to expand, it can remain a stand-alone article, perhaps trimming some of the overlap from and a link to the new article at Intellectual disability. Some overlap is not a problem; that's quite common on related subtopic articles. Pinging creator of the new article Shocksingularity. Sundayclose (talk) 18:05, 4 January 2026 (UTC)

Oppose as creator of the new article. Mild ID obviously passes WP:GNG. I plan to expand the article and make articles for other subtypes of ID, but have been busy working on other stuff and wanted to get that one out without it sitting in draftspace for ages. Thanks @Sundayclose for the ping. Shocksingularity (talk) 22:51, 4 January 2026 (UTC)

The argument is not one of notability, which is clear, but of overlap or duplication. Any expansion would have the same problems (in fact, making the problem worse). Klbrain (talk) 23:25, 4 January 2026 (UTC)

As far as I can see, there is not extensive overlap or duplication in the article. The intellectual disability article focuses on ID in general, while the mild ID article is more specific. For example, the mild ID article covers causes and comorbidities specific to mild ID, such as Williams syndrome, and details their statistics specifically for mild ID. It also has 3 paragraphs on the presentation of mild ID rather than just 1 in the general ID article, and details differences between mild ID and other forms of ID. The general ID article is already long enough, so it makes sense for these more specific but still important details to be in their own article. Shocksingularity (talk) 01:52, 5 January 2026 (UTC)

Let's not jump the gun. Shocksingularity has said he plans to expand the article as well as start articles about other subtypes. And as I said, some overlap between topics and subtopics is not unusual. This is not a matter of life and death. Let's give it a reasonable amount of time and see what happens. Sundayclose (talk) 02:16, 5 January 2026 (UTC)

Absolutely; no jumping required; but I note that there have been no significant edits for more 2 months, so it doesn't look like an active expansion. Klbrain (talk) 02:59, 5 January 2026 (UTC)

Yeah, I plan to expand it, I'm not currently expanding it. That is because I've been working on the black hole article, trying to get it to FA status; if you check the page history and the talk page you can see that they corroborate this. After I finish, I'd like to come back to this. I'm pretty close, currently in the peer review stage and after that I'll send it over for an official FA review. Shocksingularity (talk) 03:26, 5 January 2026 (UTC)

What's the difference between mind and non-mild, exactly? FaviFake (talk) 14:42, 18 January 2026 (UTC)

It isn't "exactly", because the DSM doesn't believe in exact differences. But generally speaking, mild ID is IQ of 55 to 70 (or slightly lower but with adaptive skills that result in equivalent abilities). In practical terms, this usually means that the person can read and do everyday arithmetic, but won't manage algebra, abstract thinking, analytical thinking, legal affairs, etc. At the higher end, a simple example is that they can read The Old Man and the Sea in terms of decoding the words on the page, but not explain why it is great literature. WhatamIdoing (talk) 20:00, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

• Support there is no article for different stages of cancer nor am I aware of any other disease on Wikipedia where a mild form is given a standalone page. Majority of sources are about regular intellectual disability. Although the article has a few WP:MEDRS violations these should not be merged, only content from the secondary/tertiary sources should be merged. If you were to take out the MEDRS violations the article would be a lot shorter further justifying a merge. Traumnovelle (talk) 08:52, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

  @Traumnovelle, see also Mild cognitive impairment, Severe cognitive impairment, Severe combined immunodeficiency, Severe congenital neutropenia, Severe cutaneous adverse reactions, Severe mental impairment, Mild androgen insensitivity syndrome... WhatamIdoing (talk) 20:08, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

Oppose I was going to originally support the merger but then it was drawn to my attention that there are several articles on here that are about a "mild" or "severe" version of a condition. I think enough could be said about mild ID that it could constitute it's own article since it's the most common type of ID. Ailurophobic (talk) 02:46, 7 March 2026 (UTC)

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I would like to add the following sentences under section 'Society and culture': "Social attitudes toward people with intellectual disabilities are often more negative than toward other disability groups. For example, a representative survey found that substantially smaller proportion of the general population supports equal rights for people people with intellectual disabilites or autism, than the rights of persons with sensory or mobility impairments." (Citation: Bernat, A., Turnpenny, A., & Petri, G. (2025). Do public attitudes support intellectual disability and autism rights and inclusion?–Lessons from a representative survey. Tizard Learning Disability Review, 30(2), 105-116. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLDR-05-2024-0023) UlpiusTom (talk) 13:02, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: Please correctly format your citation, ideally someone shouldn't have to do it for you. (Create it in the sandbox, then paste it in source code mode when you have created it. (you can use the link or parts of what you have added here to search for it using Ctrl F then Ctrl-V) Theeverywhereperson talk here 11:18, 30 January 2026 (UTC)

@Theeverywhereperson, what do you mean about formatting the citation "correctly"? The new editor wrote out a full bibliographic citation:

• Bernat, A., Turnpenny, A., & Petri, G. (2025). Do public attitudes support intellectual disability and autism rights and inclusion?–Lessons from a representative survey. Tizard Learning Disability Review, 30(2), 105-116. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLDR-05-2024-0023

This is correct, but even if it weren't, the Wikipedia:Citing sources guideline says that editors should do their best, and that they can leave details of citation formatting to others. WhatamIdoing (talk) 19:52, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

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Change "Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability (in the United Kingdom),[4] Donald Trump's Disorder, and formerly as mental retardation (in the United States),[5][6][7]" to "Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability (in the United Kingdom),[4] and formerly as mental retardation (in the United States),[5][6][7]" ~2026-12767-68 (talk) 16:41, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

 Reverted, just run of the mill vandalism. –Deacon Vorbis (carbon • videos) 16:47, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

@~2026-12767-68, thanks for this note. WhatamIdoing (talk) 19:48, 26 February 2026 (UTC)