Intellectual Disabilities

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Intellectual Disabilities
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IDEA Categories

• Specific learning disabilities
• Emotional disturbance
• MENTAL RETARDATION (terminology changed)
• Autism
• Other health impairments
• Orthopedic impairments
• Traumatic brain injury
• Speech or language impairments
• Hearing impairments
• Visual impairments

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Intellectual disability

• Intellectual disability is characterized by
  significant limitations both in intellectual
  functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed
  in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive
  skills. This disability originates before age
  18. (AAIDD, 2010)

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an alternative definition . . .

• Mental retardation refers to a level of
  functioning which requires from society
  significantly above average training procedures
  and superior assets in adaptive behavior on the
  part of society, manifested throughout the life
  of both society and the individual
• Marc Gold, (1980)

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Definition

• 5 assumptions exxential to the application of the
  2010 AAIDD definition
• 1. Limitations in present functioning must be
  considered within the contest of community
  environments typical of the individuals age
  peers and culture
• 2.Valid assessment considers cultural and
  linguistic diversity as well as differences in
  communication, sensory, motor, and behavioral
  factors.
• 3. Within an indiviudal, limitations often
  coexist with strengths.
• 4. An important purpose of describing limitations
  is to develop a profile of needed supports
• 5. With appropriate personalized supports over a
  sustained period, the life functioning of the
  person with intellectual disability will
  generally improve

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Definition and Components

• Intellectual disability
• Measured by IQ tests and adaptive behavioral
  assessments
• Calls for adaptations and/or special services
• May include some physical disabilities
• Can vary from state to state
• Manifests before age 18
• 1.4 of population

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Use of Intelligence Testing

• In the past, over-representation of immigrant and
  minority children
• Tested primarily in English
• Adaptive behavior component not considered
• Concept of cultural fairness
• Only one component of identification
• Mild intellectual disability usually includes
  children whose scores are between 50 and 75

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Possible Causes ofIntellectual disability

• Organic
• Drugs
• Infections
• Genetics

• Environmental
• Toxins
• Diet
• Health
• Deprivation

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Best Practices

• Demonstrate rather than tell
• Provide numerous opportunities for practice
• Use direct instruction
• Plan for high levels of task involvement
• Ignore insignificant errors
• Relate assignments to lessons
• Integrate subject matter (thematic)
• Take data
• Practice for tests and high stakes assessments

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For those with more severe forms

• Issues
• Chronologically age appropriate skills
• Functional skills
• Teach in natural environments
• Integration vs. inclusion vs. mainstreaming vs.
  full inclusion
• Social skills

• Strategies
• Discrete trial training
• Prompting heirarchies
• Data based instruction
• Task analysis
• Top-down curriculum
• Outcomes
• Independent living
• Supported employment
• Community integration