A more accurate clarification of the differences in the intellectual profiles of children with ID and SLD could also facilitate
the accurate diagnosis of cases with borderline profiles, apparently presenting features of both ID and SLD. Such cases
typically have a FSIQ between 71 and 84, and are sometimes included in a particular category, variously defined in the DSM-5, although it is not considered a mental disorder: ‘‘borderline intellectual functioning’’ is coded among the ‘‘other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention’’. Based on the distribution of IQs, these cases would represent a very important category that would include 13.5% of the normal population. There are few reports on this condition, however, and very little attention has been paid to this population: the category occupies just 7 lines in the DSM-5; and the diagnosis is relatively
infrequent (Karande, Kanchan, & Kulkarni, 2008). This is because these cases are frequently associated with a diagnosis of
either ID or SLD, without any clear and detailed criteria for establishing which diagnosis is the more appropriate.