Taking New Attitudes to Higher Altitudes: A Relook at Mental Retardation

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Taking New Attitudes to Higher Altitudes A
Re-look at Mental Retardation

• Danville Public Schools
• Danville, Virginia
• February 16, 2006
• Denver, Colorado

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Taking New Attitudes to Higher Altitudes
A Re-look at Mental Retardation

• Welcome
• Introductions
• Patricia Crews, Ed.D.
• Director Office of Exceptional Children
• Vanessa Hall
• Special Education Teacher
• William Brown, Ph.D.
• School Psychologist

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Energizer

• Think of the title of your favorite song

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Mental Retardation

• Significantly sub-average intellectual
  functioning
• - Supported by three factors
• - Intellectual impairment
• - Adaptive functioning
• - Onset before the age of 18 (DSM-IV)
• 
  
  (American Psychiatric Association, 1994)

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Perceptions

• Comic Strip

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Misidentification / Misclassification

• Misidentification
• - Inappropriately identifying students from
  racial and ethnic minority groups as students
  with
• disabilities.
• Misclassification
• - Inaccurately labeling students identified
  for special education services and therefore
  providing these students with inappropriate
  services.
• 
  (19th Annual Report to Congress on the IDEA
  97)

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Question to ponder

• Have you ever had a student in your class who was
  labeled one disability, but somewhere in the back
  your mind, you knew that the disability category
  was not accurate?

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Question to ponder. . .

• Have you ever felt that a students disability
  category was appropriate at one time in the
  students school life, but a couple of years or
  grades later, he/she certainly was not
  manifesting the characteristics of that
  disability, although the student still carried
  the label?

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Question to ponder. . .

• At what point is low academic achievement
  considered to be due to mild mental retardation
  and not a learning disability?

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Question to ponder. . .

• How is mild mental retardation different from low
  academic achievement?

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Attitudes toward the MR

• Negative stereotypes
• Implementation of inclusion elusive
• - Low aptitude students among the most
  difficult to teach.
• - Educators place more emphasis on the
  students current -level of functioning
• - rather than addressing the students
  modality
• - Integration into society
• Perceptions regarding capabilities
• - workforce
• - quality of life
• - public attitudes and expectations

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Justification for Disproportionality

• Why disproportionality?
• African-American students only account for 16
  of the U.S. population yet they represent nearly
  one-third (32 percent) of all students in
  programs for mild mental retardation.

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Mental Retardation in Virginia

• In 2004 10,973 children between 0 to 17 years
  of age had a diagnosis of MR
• (Community services boards
  data 2004)

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Danville Public Schools

• 7,450 students
• 1,047 students receiving special education and
  related services
• 2-High Schools
• 3-Middle Schools
• 10-Elementary Schools

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Danville Public Schools

• Seven (7) Year OCR Review
• African-American students identified - MR.
• Pre-referral intervention
• Parental involvement
• Communication regarding students progress
• Ecological/environmental assessment procedures
• Child Study Procedures
• Released in May 2003

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Justification for Disproportionality

• Mill Town
• Socio-economic status
• Discipline
• Minority majority student population
• Parental involvement
• Instructional practices
• Pre-referral intervention

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Justification for Disproportionality

• -Placement procedures
• - Systemic inequities
• - Language/culture
• - Assessment practices
• - Professional development for teachers,
  staff administration.
• Other reasons . . .

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When Diagnosing Mild MR

• Diagnosticians must be mindful of
• Contradictions between behaviors scripted in the
  DSM-IV and symptoms presented in students
  suspected of having mental retardation.
• 
  (Biasini et al., in press)
• Diagnostician must
• Be comprehensive in the assessment approach and
  think outside the usual formulas when diagnosing
  a student as having mental retardation.
  (Sturmey, 1995)

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Consequences of Misidentification and
Misclassification

• Higher likelihood of obtaining a certificate
• Experience lower levels of achievement
• High drop-out rates
• Lower wages
• Increased teen pregnancy
• Social isolation
• Fragile self-esteem

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Outcomes

• Develop an understanding of misidentification
  and misclassification and how labeling may be
  affected by the students environment.
• Learn effective assessment approaches in
  identifying students with Mental Retardation.
• Take away ready-to-use classroom strategies that
  increase interest, motivation, and achievement.

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The Evaluation Process

• A Team Approach

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The Evaluation Process

• Assessments used for students suspected of having
  MR
• Pre-referral interventions
• Child Study Committee
• An opportunity to study the child
• Assessment Selection and Parental Permission

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The Evaluation Process

• Disclaimer
• There is no one particular test that will provide
  all possible factors needed for a comprehensive
  assessment.
• Professional judgment is necessary to determine
  how to supplement one test with other tests or
  subtests in order to gain needed information.

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The Evaluation Process

• Please note that the tests listed in this
  presentation are not an exhaustive list.
• However, we have found them useful in assessing
  students suspected of having MR in the Danville
  Public Schools.

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Components Selection

• Assessment Selection Parental
  Permission

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Recommended Assessments - Components

• Psychological
• Adaptive Behavior
• Educational
• Socio-cultural
• Classroom Based
• Classroom Observation
• Cumulative Record Review
• Speech and Hearing
• Medical
• Vision

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The Child Study Committee

• An opportunity to study the child.

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Psychological Assessment

• Testing Strategies
• - Establish rapport, find an interest of the
  student.
• - Test in the A.M.
• - Take frequent breaks.
• - Test over several days.
• - Be mindful of holidays.

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Adaptive Behavior
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Educational Assessment
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Socio-cultural
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Classroom Based Assessment
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Classroom Observation
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Cumulative Record Review
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Speech and Hearing
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Vision
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The Eligibility Committee

• Summary report

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Addressing Disproportionality A High School
Teachers Perspective
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The High School Special Education Teacher

• Concerns
• Misidentification / Misclassification
• Increase Awareness
• Behaviors
• Academic performance
• No Timelines
• Number of years in special education

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Mental Retardation

• Significantly subaverage general intellectual
  functioning
• Existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive
  behavior
• Manifested during the developmental period
• Adversely affects a childs educational
  performance

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DPS Distinguishes Two (2) Categories of MR

• Educable Mentally Retarded
• Progressively referred to as mild mental
  retardation
• Develops functional and academic skills
• Graduate on a 3rd to 4th grade academic level
• Receives a Special Diploma
• Trainable Mental Retardation
• Progressively referred to as moderate to severe
  mental retardation
• Promotes self-care, adaptive, and social skills
• Fundamental academics
• Receives a Special Diploma

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Concern for DPS

• Overrepresentation
• African American
• Males
• Identified as MR

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Typical Characteristics and Needs of Students
Identified as EMR

• Need intermittent to limited support
• No apparent physical differences from
  non-disabled peers
• Mild to moderate developmental delays
• Identified in school setting
• Cognitive disability most apparent

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Question

• After graduation, as adults, many with mild
  mental retardation, though not all, obtain
  independent employment and maintain financial
  stability, marry and have children, function
  responsibly and blend rather indistinguishably in
  our community, is the label of mentally retarded
  appropriate?

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Prevalent Behavioral Factors? Misidentification
/ Misclassification as MR
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Comparison and Contrast

• Performances
• Academic
• Classroom
• Behavioral

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Accelerated Performer v. Performer

• Accelerated performer
• Meets and rises to challenges
• most obvious factor to recognize

• Performer
• Does pretty much whats expected
• Typical student with MR

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Abstract Thinker v. Concrete Thinker

• Abstract Thinker
• Elaborates on the concepts presented
• Anticipates the outcomes
• Applies relevance to circumstances

• Concrete Thinker
• Very specific response
• Practical and basic application

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Challenged v. Systematic

• Challenged
• Eager
• Invites change
• Exploratory
• Innovative

• Systematic
• Benefits from routines
• Prefers structure

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Socially Adept v. Reserved

• Socially adept
• Shows reaction
• Demonstrates an understanding of facial
  expressions
• Responds gestures and sarcasm

• Reserved
• Seems to keep thought and feelings within

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Defiance v. Conformance

• Defiance
• Rebellious
• More frequent absences and tardies
• Resistant to authority
• Test the limits

• Conformance
• Wants to please
• Acts in accordance with the rules
• Atypical adolescent behavior

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General Strategies to Enhance Motivation and
Achievement (cont.)

• Never assess capabilities solely on IQ
• Deviate educational assessments
• Bring to attention role models with disabilities
• Discuss factors of success
• Promote interactive experiences

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(cont.) General Strategies to Enhance Motivation
and Achievement

• Encourage parental involvement
• Keep up-to-date records
• Record behavior that varies from the norm or
  whats expected
• Be aware of changes that may be caused by
  medications
• Acknowledge high but realistic expectations

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? Misidentification / Misclassification

• Talk with other teachers, staff and parents
• Reconvene IEP team meeting . . .
• Review students portfolio
• Regular education teachers performance report
• Special education teachers performance report
• Students response to current category placement
• Parents response to students abilities
• Review disciplinary file
• Review history of eligibilities and
  re-evaluations

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Assessment Determination for Re-evaluation

• Psychologists
• Leads discussion
• Reviewing assessments needed to re-evaluate for
  possible misidentification/
• misclassification

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The Re-evaluation Process

• Psychological
• Adaptive Behavior
• Educational
• Socio-cultural
• Classroom Based
• Classroom Observation
• Speech and Hearing
• Medical
• Vision

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Follow-up Students Performance and Progress

• Consultation and collaboration with teachers
• Communicate with parents
• IEP goals
• Interim grades
• Provide support services

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Remember

• Special education is a set of services designed
  to support educational growth not a placement.
• Never too late to re-evaluate for
  misidentification/
• misclassification
• Recognize cultural diversity.