Background: This study examines the extent to which a random sample of adults with intellectual disabilities possess the component skills necessary to undergo cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). Method: Seventy-two individuals underwent a range of assessments, including measures of language ability, ability to identify and to label emotions, ability to link events and emotions and a cognitive mediation task. The method broadly replicated a previous study undertaken by Dagnan et al. ["Cognitive Therapy and Research" (2000) vol. 24, pp. 627-636]. Results: Results showed significant relationships between language ability and ability to recognize and label emotions, ability to link events and emotions and pass the cognitive mediation tasks. The majority of the participants were unable to pass the tasks linking emotions and events and the cognitive mediation tasks. They also demonstrated a limited emotional vocabulary. The findings were similar to those of Dagnan et al. (2000). Conclusions: It is possible to assess some of the component skills necessary for undergoing CBT. People with intellectual disabilities will need support from therapists to teach the skills necessary to undertake cognitive interventions, and a "step-wise" approach to assessment will enable such support to be appropriately targeted to individual need.