Resiliency profiles of children with intellectual disability and their typically developing peers

Intellectual disability (ID) is associated with a range of risk factors that make children more vulnerable to adverse developmental outcomes including mental health problems. Nevertheless, some children with ID do much better than others, presumably because of the presence of protective factors that increase their resilience. The current study compared resiliency profiles of children with ID (n = 115, mean age 11.9 years) and their typically developing peers (n = 106, mean age 11.8 years) using the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents (Prince-Embury, 2007) and the Healthy Kids Resilience Assessment (Constantine, Bernard & Diaz, 1999). In many respects children with ID and their typically developing peers reported similar levels of the protective factors that are associated with resilience. However, the children with ID reported higher levels of emotional sensitivity and lower tolerance, as well as fewer future goals. Compared with typically developing children, those with ID reported more support at school and less support within their communities. These findings have important implications for interventions that aim to promote positive developmental outcomes and to prevent the adverse sequelae that have been associated with low intelligence.