An intellectual disability, also referred to as a developmental disability, is a term used to describe any condition that includes a lifelong impairment to a person’s ability to learn or adapt to their environment.

An intellectual disability is not the same as a mental illness, psychological disability, learning disability, or psychiatric condition. An intellectual disability refers to a group of disorders in one or more central nervous system processes, causing a disability to appear in one or several of the following: reasoning, processing, memory, calculation, coordination, social interaction and emotional articulation. People with intellectual disabilities do not necessarily have a recognizable condition. The degree of disability can vary greatly from person to person, as everyone is an individual.

Some examples of intellectual disabilities include Autism, Down Syndrome and William's Syndrome.