This study assessed the effects of haptic information on the postural control systems of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), through the use of a nonrigid tool that we call the "anchor system" (e.g., ropes attached to graduated weights that rest on the floor). Eleven participants with ID were asked to stand, blindfolded, on a balance beam placed at two heights (10 and 20 cm), for 30 s, while using the anchor system at two weights. The lighter anchor weight appeared to improve the individuals' balance in contrast to a control task condition; therefore, we concluded that haptic sensitivity was more significant in helping to orient the body than was the anchor's mechanical support alone.Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) invariably exhibit poor or delayed postural adjustments at early stages; and, while many eventually acquire most fundamental motor milestones (e.g., upright position, walking, and running), they continue to experience balance problems as they age (Mauerberg-deCastro & Kinzler, 2000). Individuals with ID, such as Down syndrome, are known to have slower reactions to perturbations to posture, regardless of their ages (Shumway-Cook & Woollacott, 1985). Carvalho and Almeida (2009) demonstrated that individuals with Down syndrome adopted a pattern of cocontraction in their leg muscles, making them unable to modulate the magnitude of postural response to a task with varied degrees of instability. This finding reflects a proprioceptive deficit for this group. In addition, as individuals with ID age, lifestyle and health-related problems also contribute to postural instability and often increase the risk of falls and of loss Stabilization of Posture and Intellectual Disability 209 of independence (Hale, Bray, & Littmann, 2007). Lahtinen, Rintala, and Malin (2007), reporting a 30-year longitudinal study of individuals with ID, found that in adolescence, 25% of the ID participants were able to complete a static balance task (standing on one foot for 60 s, i.e., stork stand test); in adulthood the total of those who could perform the task dropped to less than 10%.Researchers have focused on causes for poor balance skills found in adults with ID, as well as on the adaptation process underlying postural control. Knowledge about the role of sensory information on postural control in groups that are known to have poor balance, for example, has added to our understanding of how, under a perception-action approach, sensory-motor mechanisms function (Gomes & Barela, 2007;Jeka, Easton, Bentzen, & Lackner, 1996;Prioli, Cardozo, Freitas Junior, & Barela, 2006). Numerous researchers have investigated how postural sway can be attenuated through an individual's acquisition of additional sensory information (somatosensory or visual;Jeka & Lackner, 1994;Jeka et al., 1996) or by the introduction of task demands to a challenged postural system (Prioli et al., 2006). Sources of postural disruptions can be task-manipulated (i.e., unexpected surface displacement, blindfolding of the participant, etc.), but...