History of Intellectual Assessment - Essay Example

? History of intellectual assessment Task: History of intellectual assessment Introduction Intellectual functioning refers to the intellectual capacity of an individual obtained after performing an IQ test. From this test, one is capable of defining different components of an individual such as verbal, reasoning, visuomotor capabilities, working memory and the rate at which one processes given information. In intellectual functioning, performance of IQ test is very important because it helps a neuropsychologist detect the intellectual level in an individual. For example, if an individual IQ test shows high performance but the same person performs poorly in academics such an individual is under functioning. Mostly, intellectual functioning can be perfect in an individual when there was no impairment of the brain during birth or childhood stages (Wehmeyer & Obremski, 2012). How intellectual functioning impact personal success The initial intellectual functioning test occurred in 1904 by Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon who were screening children in Stanford schools. During this exercise, they intended to divide the best performing and poorly performing students. In 1910, Henry Goddard translated the same intellectual test to English and transferred it to the U.S schools. Later on in 1916, Lewis Terman published the intellectual functioning test produced by Binet and Simon. By 1937, these intellectual functional test/ scale became the famous Stanford-Binet scales (Haywood & Tzuriel, 2002). By that time, different other pioneers gained determinations in implementing an intellectual test to demonstrate intelligence. In America, David Wechsler developed the initial copy of intellectual test in 1939 and named it Wechsler-Bellevue, which made him become a pioneer in the field. His intellectual functioning test/scale was strictly applicable to adults. With progress in time, theories defining intelligence changed thus resulting to introduction of new intellectual functioning test/scales. This also led to Alan Kaufman a critique of the previous intellectual tests printing his own copy in 1983, and this test was strictly for children (Haywood & Tzuriel, 2002). The rate of intellectual functioning differs amongst individuals. The intellectual functioning of about 87% in individuals face little or no problems in their level of comprehending new information/ skills. At most, these complications are hard to discover in children before performing an intellectual test. Nevertheless, in adults, people noted with these complications will seclude themselves so that the community does not discover their weaknesses. In addition, some individuals on the realization of their problems will search for advice while others will only do this when in distress. The other 13% of the remaining individuals have serious problems in their intellectual functioning and physical disabilities. However, these problems require early interference, training and support from the community in order for one to fit in the community (Lacy, Pyykkonen, Hunters et al, 2008). Intellectual functioning is very vital in the personal success of an individual. For example, individuals with intellectual disability lack many skills and knowledge that individuals who are intellectually functioning entail. While individuals who are intellectually disable need help from others, for them to participate in definite activities. Besides, the intellectual functioning individuals are proficient at performing the same activity without help because they possess required qualities to participate in those activities. Therefore, these results to intellectual functioning individuals’ succeed in life unlike those who are intellectual disable. This process also influences an individual’s level of success because an individual who is intellectually functioning is capable of comprehending language. Here, an individual has an advantage of easy language development, understand printed, and oral languages, lexical skills, they decode, have high grammatical sensitivity, understand foreign languages and spelling ability among others. Therefore, with the ability to practice all the mentioned skills, intellectual functioning individual access required tools in enhancing their successful in life. Their performance also becomes successful because intellectual functioning individuals have capabilities of imitating, interacting and communicating (Fernell & Ulla, 2010). Intellectual functioning students succeed in learning because they can achieve and access dissimilar high quality things in life aspects. These students are also able to understand the existing school syllabuses and instructions thus adapting to different behaviors in the field, which strengthens the individual’s ability of succeeding. Furthermore, these individuals emerge to be successful in life because most organizations prefer hiring them instead of employing the intellectual disabled ones. An intellectual functioning student easily mix up with other peers because they possess equal level of intelligence and performs well academically thus acquiring a good job which detects their personal succession (Haywood & Tzuriel, 2002). Intellectual functioning promotes an individual life because it improves the strategies applied in teaching. This happens because a teacher tutoring intellectually disabled students will take more time explaining a similar concept to them unlike intellectually functioning individuals who takes minimal time. The expertise that these students obtain in these teachings is important because they prepare them in their future life besides the school curriculums. The students also have an upper hand to the intellectual disabled students because, for the disabled, they take more time in comprehending the same concept, which is totally opposite in intellectually functioning students (Fernell & Ulla, 2010). In the application of modern technology, the intellectual functioning individuals have an advantage because they can use technology in increasing production hence succeeding in life. They can also apply technology in their studies like application of manipulative in solving mathematical errors in school unlike the intellectual disabled because they take more time. Therefore, the intellectual functioning individuals can succeed in their personal life because these technologies will multiply general production unlike the disabled ones because they will require extra training. The functional individuals can succeed in life compared to the disabled ones because they do not undergo the discrimination that the disabled pass through. This equips them with the courage to move around, meet new people, embrace new technologies, attend dissimilar seminars and these can brighten their future. In contrary, the intellectual disabled individuals go through discrimination from the community due to their nature. This limits them the freedom of moving by and compete similarly to the intellectual functioning individuals and this affects their possibility of succeeding in personal life. Finally, the intellectual functional individuals have an advantage when it comes to succeeding in private life because they are assertive which enables them to handle different difficulty capabilities in life. Intellectually disabled individuals take a longer time to implement solutions to a similar problem (Lacy, Pyykkonen, Hunters et al., 2008). Conclusion As discussed above, many factors are capable of defining intellectual functioning in an individual, but the most recognized is through intelligence test. This test entails examining an individual’s reasoning capacity, how he/she handles dissimilar problems, his planning designs and his/her capabilities to learn concepts. Individuals should also note that apart from intellectual functioning interfering with the cognitive functioning, it also affects both social and emotional functioning of an individual. Therefore, schools and societies should be willing to accommodate and appreciate the needs of intellectually functioning individuals. References Haywood, C. & Tzuriel, D. (2002). Interactive assessment: communication. Belmont, CA: Springer Fernell, E. & Ulla, E. (2010). Borderline intellectual functioning in children and adolescents – insufficiently recognized difficulties. Acta Paediatrica 99, 748–753. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2010.01707.x/abstractLacy, M, Lacy, M. Pyykkonen, A. Hunter, S. et al. (2008). Intellectual functioning in children with early shunted posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus. Department of Psychiatry, 44, 376-381. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18703883 Wehmeyer, M. Obremski, S. (2012). Intellectual Disabilities. In: JH. International Encyclopedia of Rehabilitation. Retrieved from http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/encyclopedia/en/article/15/ Read More