Which cognitive disability is characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior?

The appropriate choice identifies intellectual disability (ID) as the condition characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. This disability typically involves difficulties with cognitive tasks and challenges in everyday skills necessary for independent living.

Intellectual functioning includes reasoning, problem-solving, planning, abstract thinking, and learning, while adaptive behavior encompasses practical skills necessary for everyday life, such as communication, self-care, and social skills. An individual with ID generally has an IQ score below 70 and exhibits difficulties that may impact their performance across multiple settings, including home, school, and community.

In contrast, a learning disability refers to difficulties with specific types of learning (such as reading or math) without the broad intellectual limitations seen in ID. Autism spectrum disorder covers a range of developmental conditions characterized primarily by challenges in social interaction and communication, which can occur without significant intellectual impairments. Developmental delay is a broader category used for children who are behind in one or more areas of development, but it does not specifically refer to the limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior associated with intellectual disability.