What's in a name?

McDowell (2013) gives a short update on the ICD-11 draft. It says the new manual will drop 'mental retardation' and use 'intellectual disability' instead. The paper is a quick read, not a data study.

The finding is simple: the global disease guide will use the new term. No numbers, no trials, just the policy line. The author tells clinicians to start using the new words now.

Kleinert et al. (2007) set the stage. They argued the same switch six years earlier, so McDowell (2013) is the follow-through. Ford et al. (2013) lands the same year with the same message, making it a direct replication from the federal side. Hamama et al. (2021) later supersedes the brief note by giving full diagnostic details and support levels. Ohan et al. (2015) adds a warning: an RCT shows that simply telling people to say 'intellectual disability' can raise stigma, an angle McDowell (2013) never mentions.

You need to update every report, goal sheet, and parent handout today. Swap 'mental retardation' for 'intellectual disability' and you stay in line with ICD-11, insurance forms, and federal rules. Just remember that the word change alone will not cut stigma; pair it with respectful explanation and person-first language.