APA Dictionary of Psychology

an older diagnostic and classification category applied to those with IQs of 35 to 49, comprising about 10% of people with mental retardation, the outdated and offensive term for intellectual developmental disorder (intellectual disability). Included in DSM-IV-TR, it was characterized by a lack of progression beyond the second grade in academic subjects, poor coordination, and sufficient social and occupational skills to be able to perform unskilled or semiskilled work under supervision in sheltered and supportive environments, as well as in regular workplaces with accommodations. In DSM-5, the designation was changed to moderate intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder), and, in DSM-5-TR, to moderate intellectual developmental disorder (intellectual disability), with the level of severity defined on the basis of adaptive functioning, rather than IQ scores.