Understanding Adaptive Skills in Borderline Intellectual Functioning: A Systematic Review.
People with borderline IQ need help even though they don’t qualify for ID services—check adaptive skills and use the scores to unlock support.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team pulled every paper they could find on daily living skills in people with borderline IQ.
They looked at conceptual, social, and practical skills. No age limit.
The review shows where these people struggle and why services often say “no.”
What they found
Daily life is hard across the board. Cooking, money, friends, and problem solving all lag.
IQ scores sit between 70 and 85, so they miss the line for intellectual disability.
Without the ID label, schools and clinics deny help. Support gaps last a lifetime.
How this fits with other research
Milane et al. (2025) did a wider map of the same field. They found most work looks at other diagnoses, not daily skills. The new review fills that exact hole.
Porter et al. (2008) surveyed adults in the UK. They also saw high mental-health needs but few talking-therapy spots. The new paper adds the “why”: no adaptive score means no ticket to services.
Wilson et al. (2023) tracked teens born extremely small. Those with IQ < 85 had worse reading and math. The review widens the lens and shows the same group also struggles with shopping, bus routes, and friendships.
Why it matters
If you test IQ only, you will miss clients who need you most. Add an adaptive scale such as the ABAS or Vineland. A low score gives you data to open school or adult services even when IQ is “too high.” Start today and cut future crises.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) is characterized by an IQ typically ranging from 70 to 85, combined with deficits in adaptive functioning. Despite its prevalence, individuals with BIF are often excluded from diagnostic and support systems, which traditionally focus on strictly defined intellectual disabilities. This article presents a systematic review conducted across the ProQuest, WoS, SCOPUS, and EBSCOhost databases, aiming to develop a profile of the adaptive functioning in individuals with BIF. A total of 64 documents published from 2012 to the present were included, all of them addressing BIF and adaptive functioning skills, and quality was assessed using the SSAHS tool. The findings presented are synthesized according to conceptual, social, and practical domains and reveal that individuals with BIF experience widespread difficulties across the conceptual, social, and practical domains. Additionally, societal barriers, primarily limiting access to support services, persist. However, there are emerging resources aimed at supporting this population, such as legislative efforts to facilitate their integration into the labor market. The implications and limitations of the findings are discussed, highlighting the need to consider the adaptive functioning skills of individuals with BIF.
European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 2025 · doi:10.3390/ejihpe15030040