Intellectual Disabilities - Research Paper Example

? Intellectual Disabilities of Intellectual Disabilities Introduction Globally, people are endowed with varying abilities. They also develop at varying rate. However, there are also people who find it hard to learn new knowledge or skills maybe because they suffer from intellectual disability (Woodcock & Vialle, 2010). Persons with intellectual disabilities experience diverse health conditions and social problems throughout their life span. Intellectual disabilities affect a person and their family during their childhood, as they make transitions to adolescence and adulthood. Moreover, intellectual disabilities affect individuals during aging. Understanding intellectual disability is critical in education to help students having this condition (Woodcock & Vialle, 2010). This paper will discuss the definition of intellectual, its characteristics and its impacts on intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. Moreover, strategies to assist students in this disability category will be described. Defining Intellectual Disability World Health Organization describes intellectual disability as the significant reduction of the ability to comprehend new information and in learning and applying new skills. The American Association of Intellectual and Development Disability (AAIDD) explain that intellectual disability is not usually an isolated disorder. AAIDD offers a three dimensional definition of intellectual disability and this is the most widely acknowledged definition (Barrett, 2011). According to the AAIDD, intellectual disability is a disorder that begins before one gets to the age of 18 years that is characterized by great limitation in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. Intellectual functioning refers to various aspects of life such as learning, reasoning, problem solving (Barrett, 2011). On the other hand, adaptive behavior touches on a range of practical and social skills in areas of self-care, communication, self-direction, health, safety leisure and work. Intellectual disability has been introduced as a replacement to mental retardation that was previously used (Jellinek, Patel & Froehle, 2002). The prevalence of intellectual disability in America is relatively high with about one in every ten families affected. However, the estimated prevalence varies based on the criteria used in diagnosis, study design and ways of ascertaining (Barrett, 2011). For instance, when intelligent quotient (IQ) is used in diagnosis, the prevalence of intellectual disability is estimated at 3 percent but when applying the AAIDD definition, national prevalence stand at 1 percent. Prevalence of intellectual disability is higher among males and the male to female ration is about 1.5 to 1 (Barrett, 2011). Diagnosis and Assessment of ID Assessment of intellectual disability involves a multidisciplinary team comprising of psychiatrists, pediatricians, psychologists and clinical geneticists. The assessment is usually comprehensive where intellectual ability, adaptive behavior and medical and family history of the patient is assessed (Garbutt, 2010). DSM-IV-TR offers standardized criteria used in the diagnosis of the disorder and this is used among children and adults. Intellectual is characterized by below average intellectual functioning. The characteristics of intellectual disability include the fact that disorder begins before the age of 18. DSM-IV-TR requires that all the symptoms of intellectual disability must have begun before the age of 18 (Garbutt, 2010). However, this does not limit diagnosis after 18 years. Nevertheless, children who have not reached the age of two years should not be subjected to intellectual disability diagnosis. This may however be conducted in case a child demonstrates severe symptoms related to intellectual disability for instance Down syndrome (Garbutt, 2010). The other characteristic of intellectual disability is poor adaptive functioning. Adaptive functioning is described as the effectiveness of an individual to functioning in tandem with his age and cultural level (Jellinek, Patel, Froehle, 2002). AAIDD and DSM-IV-TR requires that for one to be regarded as suffering from adaptive functioning, a child or the adolescent should show impairment in at least two of the ten aspects used in the functioning assessment. The ten areas include communication, home living, self-care, interpersonal skills/social, health and safety (Garbutt, 2010). They also include using of community resources, functional academic skills, leisure, work and self-direction. A person suffering from intellectual disability also demonstrates intellectual impairment. Intellectual assessment is measured through use of cognitive instruments. The cognitive instrument chosen should take into account the socio-cultural setting and the indigenous language of the person being assessed (Woodcock and Vialle, 2010). Failure to consider these factors may lead to misdiagnosis for youths from cultural and linguistic minority groups. In diagnosis of intellectual disability, a person must have IQ levels that are below 70 or between 71 and 75. However, intellectual disability for persons whose IQ levels are between 71 and 75 must be supported by inadequacies in adaptive behavior and occur during the development stage. There are varying degrees in severity of intellectual disability based on the IQ range. The table below shows the levels of intellectual disability (Woodcock and Vialle, 2010). Severity Approximate IQ Range Mild 55 to about 70 Moderate 35-40 to about 50-55 Severe 20-25 to about 35-40 Profound Below 20-25 Characteristics of Intellectual Disability In addition to low IQ, persons suffering from intellectual disability have difficulties when learning and synthesizing information compared to their counterparts. They also have difficulties when comprehending abstract concepts such as time and money or when manipulating concepts and ideas needed during organization and planning (Garbutt, 2010). Persons having intellectual disability have difficulties when it comes to social and interpersonal relations. Such people do not understand social rules and they fail to identify the impacts of their actions. They also have problems remembering issues and solving problems. The other characteristics of persons suffering from intellectual disability are that they are slow to crawl, walk or talk compared to other children (Garbutt, 2010). Ways to Help Students Having Intellectual Disability There are various strategies that teachers should adopt to ensure students having intellectual disability are assisted in the learning process. Teachers must recognize that they have a chance to make a major impact on the life of a child. Youths having intellectual disability are placed under special education program (Garbutt, 2010). The program must have an individualized education program (IEP) that identifies the learning goals of each student and the specific services offered to the student from the school. IEP is developed by the parent in consultation with the educator. In some cases, the student is also involved in the development of IEP. For a teacher to effectively assist a child with intellectual disability, it is critical for the teacher to actively participate in the development of the IEP (Kress, 2006). By participating in the development of the IEP, a teacher is able to clearly understand the specific needs of the child and work towards achievement of the set goals. In case the teacher is not involved in IEP formulation, it is critical to have a look at the IEP document (Woodcock and Vialle, 2010). The other strategy that should be used in assisting students having intellectual disability is to undertake the teaching step by step. The learning process of the student should be subdivided into short stage with each stage offered adequate time (Coiro, 2005). The student should be given opportunities to practice and master every step learnt. The learning steps should be additive, that is, each step adds to the previous step. It is also critical that teachers offer immediate feedback to the student. By giving immediate responses, a student is able to make a reconnection between a particular behavior, answer, or question to the feedback given (Coiro, 2005). In assisting students with learning disabilities, it is important to involve the child’s parent and agencies dealing with intellectual disability for instance the American Association of Intellectual and Development Disability (Kress, 2006). A parent offers crucial information to the teacher on the student’s challenges, likes, dislikes and talents. With this information, a teacher is able to effectively implement the IEP by maximizing on the child’s strong points and managing the challenges. The other strategy that teachers require to address when dealing with student with disabilities is to create a conducive social environment at school. According to Coiro (2005), students having intellectual disability have difficulties in social skills making it hard for them to interact with others. However, the teacher should assist the child to get included in the classroom. The teacher should also offer accommodation for a student having intellectual disability. Accommodation may involve having a flexible scheduling for such student where they are given extra time for finish up their assignments or tests. Accommodation is also achieved through the setting adopted (Kress, 2006). For instance, a student could be allowed to study in a group. A teacher may also offer the child specific materials to assist in the learning. The other form of accommodation that teachers may use is to adopt a flexible instruction program, for instance, the teacher may allow the student receive assistance from a tutor. Lastly, the teacher should be flexible when seeking responses from the student and may allow such student to answer questions orally (Kress, 2006). Assistive Technology Various technologies may be used to enhance the learning process of students with intellectual disability. One of these technologies is the audio books that are interesting to read and their continued usage improves the student. The other technology that could be used to enhance the learning process of a student is the use of tape recorders. A teacher can record instructions or they may be used to administer test (Garbutt, 2010). Tape records have the advantage that they offer a chance to adjust the speed thereby making comprehension easier. Students may also use talking calculators where after inputting a certain digit, the calculator reads it out and the child can learn through this way. There are also speaking spell checkers and dictionaries that may be used by teachers. Development of Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Education for All Handicapped Children Act requires that children with disabilities are educated separate environment from the other children. The environment should not restrict the learning of the child. According to Coiro (2005), least restrictive environment starts with the formulation of IEP. LRE must take into consideration the grade of the students. Moreover, it is critical to assess the child’s strengths, weakness and needs when developing the LRE. A student should be placed in LRE based on an analysis of the accommodation offered in the setting and the kind of support that such a student requires. There LRE should be modified based on continuous assessment of the child’s progress over time (Kress, 2006). Conclusion Intellectual disability is a disorder that starts before the age of 18 and is characterized by difficulties in adaptive and intellectual functioning. Although there are different levels of intellectual disabilities, a person whose IQ falls below 70 is considered as having this disorder. After identifying the presence of this condition, teachers must use various strategies to assist them. Some of the strategies include adoption of the individualized education program and accommodation. Teachers must also involve parents and other agencies such as the American Association of Intellectual and Development Disability to assist such children. The other way to assist such children is by use of various technologies for instance tape recorders, talking calculators and speaking spell checkers. This assistance is best offered in the least restrictive environment. Reference Barrett, G., (2011). Strategic Tool for Students with Disabilities: Creating and Implementing Virtual Learning Environments without Barrier. Journal of College Teaching and Learning, vol. 8, no. 9, pp. 35-40. Coiro, J. (2005), "Making sense of online text", Educational Leadership, Vol. 63 No. 20, pp. 30-5. Garbutt, R. (2010). On the margins of citizenship: Intellectual disability and civil rights in twentieth-century America. Contemporary Sociology, 39(5), 559-560. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/755054844?accountid=45049 Jellinek, M., Patel, B., & Froehle, M. (Eds.). (2002). Bright Futures in Practice. Mental health Vol: 1, Practice Guide. Arlington, VA: National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health. Kress, G., (2006), Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design, 2nd ed., Routledge, London. Woodcock, S. and Vialle, W. (2010). The Potential To Learn: Pre-Service Teachers' Proposed Use Of Instructional Strategies For Students With A Learning Disability. Contemporary Issues in Education Research 3 (10): 27-38. Read More