Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Apr;14(2):101023.
doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2020.101023. Epub 2020 Nov 15.

Prevalence of intellectual disability among eight-year-old children from selected communities in the United States, 2014

Mary E Patrick  1 , Kelly A Shaw  2 , Patricia M Dietz  2 , Jon Baio  2 , Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp  2 , Deborah A Bilder  3 , Russell S Kirby  4 , Jennifer A Hall-Lande  5 , Rebecca A Harrington  6 , Li-Ching Lee  6 , Maya Liza C Lopez  7 , Julie Daniels  8 , Matthew J Maenner  2
Affiliations

Prevalence of intellectual disability among eight-year-old children from selected communities in the United States, 2014

Mary E Patrick et al. Disabil Health J. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Children with intellectual disability (ID), characterized by impairments in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, benefit from early identification and access to services. Previous U.S. estimates used administrative data or parent report with limited information for demographic subgroups.

Objective: Using empiric measures we examined ID characteristics among 8-year-old children and estimated prevalence by sex, race/ethnicity, geographic area and socioeconomic status (SES) area indicators.

Methods: We analyzed data for 8-year-old children in 9 geographic areas participating in the 2014 Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. Children with ID were identified through record review of IQ test data. Census and American Community Survey data were used to estimate the denominator.

Results: Overall, 11.8 per 1,000 (1.2%) had ID (IQ ≤ 70), of whom 39% (n = 998) also had autism spectrum disorder. Among children with ID, 1,823 had adaptive behavior test scores for which 64% were characterized as impaired. ID prevalence per 1,000 was 15.8 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 15.0-16.5) among males and 7.7 (95% CI, 7.2-8.2) among females. ID prevalence was 17.7 (95% CI, 16.6-18.9) among children who were non-Hispanic black; 12.0 (95% CI, 11.1-13.0), among Hispanic; 8.6 (95% CI, 7.1-10.4), among non-Hispanic Asian; and 8.0 (95% CI, 7.5-8.6), among non-Hispanic white. Prevalence varied across geographic areas and was inversely associated with SES.

Conclusions: ID prevalence varied substantively among racial, ethnic, geographic, and SES groups. Results can inform strategies to enhance identification and improve access to services particularly for children who are minorities or living in areas with lower SES.

Keywords: IQ; Intellectual disability; Prevalence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Prevalence of Intellectual Disability per 1,000 Eight-year-old Children by Sex and Race/Ethnicity - ADDM*, 2014
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Prevalence of intellectual disability per 1,000 eight-year-old children by median household income tertile, sex and race/ethnicity - ADDM* 2014.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American association on intellectual and developmental disabilities, https://aaidd.org/intellectual-disability/definition.
    1. Purugganan O. Intellectual disabilities. Pediatr Rev. 2018. Jun;39(6):299–309. 10.1542/pir.2016-0116. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Boyle CA, Boulet S, Schieve LA, et al. Trends in the prevalence of developmental disabilities in US children, 1997–2008. Pediatrics. 2011. Jun;127(6):1034–1042. 10.1542/peds.2010-2989. Epub 2011 May 23. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Maenner MJ, Blumberg SJ, Kogan MD, Christensen D, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Schieve LA. Prevalence of cerebral palsy and intellectual disability among children identified in two U.S. National Surveys, 2011–2013. Ann Epidemiol 2016. Mar;26(3):222–226. 10.1016/j.annepidem.2016.01.001. Epub 2016 Jan 12. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. McGuire DO, Tian LH, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Dowling NF, Christensen DL. Prevalence of cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, hearing loss, and blindness. National Health Interview Survey, 2009–2016. Disabil Health J. 2019. Jul;12(3): 443–451. 10.1016/j.dhjo.2019.01.005. Epub 2019 Jan 23. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types