Understanding Students Understanding Students with Intellectual with Intellectual DisabilitiesDisabilitiesED222Spring 2011

Defining Intellectual Defining Intellectual Disabilities (MR)Disabilities (MR)AAIDD definition

◦Intellectual disabilities is a disability characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills

◦This disability originates before age 18

5 assumptions5 assumptions• Limitations in present functioning must be

considered within the context of community environments typical of the individual’s age, peers and culture

• Valid assessment considers cultural and linguistic diversity as well as differences in communication, sensory, motor and behavioral factors.

• Within an individual, limitations often coexist with strengths

• An important purpose of describing limitations is to develop a profile of needed supports

• With appropriate personalized support over a sustained period, the life functioning of the person with mental retardation generally will improve

Intensities of SupportIntensities of SupportIntermittent: “As needed”Limited: Consistent, but time

limitedExtensive: Regular involvement

(daily), but time limitedPervasive: Constant, high

intensity, potential life sustaining nature

Prevalence of IDPrevalence of IDInconsistent rates reportedUS Department of Education

reported 0.08% in 2006511,041 students with ID, ages 6

to 21, received special education services

Characteristics of IDCharacteristics of ID• Limitations in Intellectual

Functioning–Measured through IQ tests

• Memory (short term)• Generalization• Motivation (outer-directedness)• Limitations in Adaptive Behavior–Three domains: Conceptual Skills,

Social Skills, Practical Skills–Self-determination

Determining the CausesDetermining the Causes

Causes by Timing Causes by Type

PrenatalPerinatalPostnatal

BiomedicalSocialBehavioralEducational

Evaluating Students with Evaluating Students with Intellectual DisabilitiesIntellectual DisabilitiesDetermining the Presence

◦Evaluate intellectual functioning and adaptive skills Intellectual functioning: an IQ test Adaptive Skills: measures such as

AAIDD’s Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale (DABS)

◦Determining the Nature and Extent of General and Special Education and Related Services For the older students, the Transition

Planning Inventory is useful

Partnering for Sp.Ed., and Partnering for Sp.Ed., and related servicesrelated servicesTransition Services key goals

◦To improve collaboration and links between systems to support student achievement of meaningful school and post-school outcomes

◦To promote the student’s self-determination and self-advocacy

◦To increase parent participation and involvement

Partnering for Special Partnering for Special Education and Related Education and Related ServicesServicesFour levels of transition teams

◦A statement transition team that includes secondary educators, adult service providers, adults with disabilities, and family members

◦A communitywide team representing all of the key agencies involved

◦A school wide team consisting of key professionals and family members

◦An IEP team for each student

Determining Supplementary Determining Supplementary Aides and ServicesAides and ServicesParaprofessionals

◦Paraprofessionals can be important◦More than 280,000 in the U.S.◦Paraprofessionals add appropriate

levels of support, they may isolate students, velcroed effect

◦Roles and Responsibilities

Planning Other Educational Planning Other Educational NeedsNeeds• Functional Skills may include:–Applied money concepts–Applied time concepts–Community mobility and access–Grooming and self-care–Leisure activities–Health and safety–Career Education

• Instruction in Inclusive Classrooms• Instruction in Community Settings

Early Childhood ServicesEarly Childhood ServicesPrelinguistic milieu teachingFirst, follow the child’s lead

◦Then, set the stage for communication

◦Finally, be strategic when using games like Pat-a-Cake and Peak-a-Boo

Early Childhood StudentsEarly Childhood StudentsSteps in prelinguistic milieu teaching

◦Prompt the child to communicate◦Prompt the child to initiate◦Vocally imitate the child’s resultant

vocalizations◦Comply with the child’s requests◦Recode the child’s communication act◦Acknowledge the child’s communication

act◦Talk to the child

Elementary and Middle Elementary and Middle School StudentsSchool StudentsSelf-determined learning models

of instruction◦12 student questions◦Teacher objectives◦Educational support◦Three phases:

1. What is my goal?2. What is my plan?3. What have I learned?

Secondary and Transition Secondary and Transition StudentsStudentsCommunity Based Instruction

◦Teaching in the natural environment◦Community-based instructional

approaches Learn it where you’ll need to do it Teacher it where you want your students

to practice it

Measure Students’ Measure Students’ ProgressProgressProgress in the general

curriculum◦Date based monitoring: Requires

teachers regularly to collect different types of data such as: Response by response data Instructional and test data Error data Anecdotal data

Measure students’ Measure students’ progressprogressProgress in addressing other

educational needs◦Ecological inventory process

Life Space Analysis Gather information about the student’s daily

environment Conduct ecological inventories Conduct a discrepancy analysis Perform an Activity Task Analysis

Making Accommodations for Making Accommodations for AssessmentAssessmentAccommodations may include:

◦Dictating responses to someone◦Having extended time◦Having test items orally read◦Clarifying test times