1.2% Of Eight-Year-Old U.S. Children Have An Intellectual Disability

About 1.2% of eight-year-old children in the United States, during 2014, were diagnosed with intellectual disability, representing 11.8 per 1,000 children. About 39% of children with intellectual disability also had autism. Among children with intellectual disability, about 64% had adaptive behavior test scores indicating impairment. Across racial demographics, the prevalence was highest among non-Hispanic Black children.

The prevalence of intellectual disability was 105% higher among males compared to females. Among males,15.8 per 1,000 (1.6%) had intellectual disability, compared to 7.7 per 1,000 (0.8%) female children. About 45 . . .