The High Cost of Error: Preventing Intellectual Disability Misidentification (Also as part of New Evaluator Cohort sessions)
Zoom Session Only

      


In educational settings, the difference between an accurate diagnosis and a misidentification is far more than a technical distinction—it can set a life-altering trajectory for the individual student. In this session, we will examine how major cognitive and diagnostic frameworks define and guide the identification of Intellectual Disability (ID).A significant portion of the session will focus on adaptive behavior, emphasizing that cognitive scores alone do not provide a complete or sufficient picture of a student’s functioning. We will highlight the importance of integrating qualitative data, including observations, developmental history, and contextual factors, into the eligibility determination process. Through this discussion, we will demonstrate how a comprehensive, holistic approach to evaluation serves as a critical safeguard against the overidentification of Intellectual Disability, ensuring that decisions are both accurate and ethically sound.