Professionals' naming of intellectual disability, past and present practice and rationales

The study illuminates four research questions: What terms for the diagnosis ICD10: F70-79 do Norwegian professionals utilize in their work? Which changes of terminology have professionals experienced? How do professionals explain such changes? Is there a substantive explanation? A semi-structured qualitative interview guide was used on a sample of 41 informants. The main findings are: (1) Different terms are in use; (2) two major changes in naming are observed by the informants: (a) during the 1970s from ‘feeble-minded’ to ‘mental developmental disability’, and (b) after year 2000 from ‘mental developmental disability’ to ‘developmental disability’; (3) professionals are in doubt as to which term to use; (4) they offer different explanations as to why terms change; and (5) five thematic discourses are identified, among which it is argued that the impact of ethical training of professionals is stronger than the others. Underlying these five causes it is hypothesized that they all may be induced by deeper scientific and structural changes in society.