CHILDREN with
Intellectual Disabilities
AN OVERVIEW
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
Definition
Prevalence
Levels of Intensities and Supports
Degrees of ID
Classroom Management Strategies
Causes of ID
•
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) provides the following technical
definition for Mental Retardation:
•
“Mental Retardation means significantly
sub-average general intellectual functioning
existing concurrently with deficits in
adaptive behavior and manifested during the
developmental period, that adversely affects
a child's educational performance."
•
"General intellectual functioning" is
typically measured by an intelligence test.
•
Persons with Mental Retardation usually
score 70 or below on such tests (or at
least 2 standard deviations below the
mean on the normal curve).
•
"Adaptive behavior" refers to a person's
adjustment to everyday life.
•
It refers to an individual’s ability to meet
social requirements of his or her
community that are appropriate for his or
her chronological age. It is an indication
of independence and social competency.
•
Children with Intellectual
Disabilities/Mental Retardation
become adults; they do not remain
"eternal children." They do learn, but
slowly, and with difficulty.
•
Research suggest that approximately
1-2% of the general population has
Intellectual Disabilities (when both
intelligence and adaptive behavior
measures are used).
•
•
According to data reported to the U.S.
Department of Education, there are
approximately 611,076 students ages 621 were classified as having Intellectual
Disabilities and were provided services by
the public schools.
This figure represents approximately 2 %
of the total school enrollment for that year.
•
AAMR is the American Association on Mental
Retardation
•
AAMR’s 2002 definition is based on how much
“Levels and Intensities of Support” an individual
with MR needs
•
AAMR is now the AAIDD – American
Association of Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities.
http://www.aamr.org/content_104.cfm
•
Supports are defined as the resources and
individual strategies necessary to promote the
development, education, interests, and personal
well being of a person with Intellectual
Disabilities.
•
Supports can be provided by a parent, friend,
teacher, psychologist, and doctor or by any
appropriate person or agency.
The 4 Levels of Intensities and Supports
(from least to most intensive and supportive)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Intermittent
Limited
Extensive
Pervasive
• Support is not always needed. It is
provided on an "as needed" basis and
is most likely to be required at life
transitions (e.g. moving from school to
work).
• Consistent support is required,
though not on a daily basis. The
support needed is of a nonintensive nature.
• Regular, daily support is required
in at least some environments
(e.g. daily home-living support).
• Daily extensive support, perhaps of
a life-sustaining nature, is
required in multiple environments.
• Intellectual Disabilities may also be broken
down into 4 sub-categories (Degrees):
1.
2.
3.
4.
Mild
Moderate
Severe
Profound
This categorization is not as widely accepted as
the AAID definition.
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•
•
IQ 55-69
Make up 85% of all ID cases.
Can read up to 7th grade level.
Require some supervision and support.
Will require special education services.
Can be in regular school with special ed.
Services.
• Can get jobs later in life and be relatively
independent.
•
•
•
IQ 35-54
• Will need more
Considered “trainable”.
supervision later in life.
Make up 10% of all ID • Can get jobs but will be
cases.
very basic semi-skilled
• Need a very structured
ones.
classroom environment.
•
Difficulties
with
gross
Normally taught in selfand fine motor
contained classrooms.
coordination.
•
•
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•
IQ 20-34
Make up about 3% of ID population.
Goal is to teach daily living skills and
survival skills.
Will most likely have to live in a group
home or special school.
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IQ less than 20.
Severe problems in all areas of what was
discussed with regard to Severe ID.
Will need constant supervision.
Have limited, if any speech.
•
Allow for many breaks throughout the
school day.
• Children with ID may require time to relax
and unwind. Performing tasks will entail
using more energy on their part and you
must therefore allow them to take many
breaks over the course of the school day.
•
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Always speak directly to the child so he
can see you-Never speak with your back
to him.
The child with ID needs direct contact, and
if your back is turned, he may not know that
the attention you are giving him is actually
being directed at him.
•
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Assign jobs in the classroom for the
child so that he can feel success and
accomplishment.
Give him ones that you know he can
succeed at and feel good about (i.e. erasing
the blackboards).
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Build a foundation of success by
providing a series of short and simple
assignments.
In this way, the child can gain a sense of
confidence and success.
•
Provide the child with some simple job
that requires the other students to go to
him. For example, place him in charge of
attendance and have him check off the
children when they report in.
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Strategies to achieve success
• Provide opportunities for social success
• Use direct instruction of social skills
• Video Part 1
• Video Part 2
• Video Part 3
• ID can be caused by any condition which
impairs development of the brain before
birth, during birth or in the childhood years.
• Several hundred causes have been
discovered, but in about one-third of the
people affected, the cause remains
unknown.
•
Prenatal-Occurring before birth
•
Perinatal-Occurring during birth process
•
Postnatal-Occurring after birth
• Down Syndrome
• Phenylketonuria (PKU)
• Fragile X Syndrome

Down syndrome is an example of a chromosomal
disorder.

Chromosomal disorders happen sporadically and
are caused by too many or too few chromosomes,
or by a change in structure of a chromosome.

Trisomy 21-Extra chromosome on #21

We have 23 pairs = 46 DS = 47 (3 on # 21)

Older women are, greater the likelihood of Down’s
Syndrome child.
•
A genetic disorder whereby the child is not
able to break down an amino acid,
phenylalanine (found in many common
foods)-Failure to break down phenylalanine
can lead to brain damage
•
Fragile X syndrome- a single gene disorder
located on the X chromosome and is the leading
inherited cause of Intellectual Disabilities.
• Males: XY and Females are XX.
•
The most common inherited cause of ID.
•
CGG sequence in normal DNA occurs less
than 50 times. In those with Fragile X it occurs
more than 200 times.
•
More common in boys-They only have one X,
so if the X is fragile, none other to compensate.
•
Illnesses: Childhood diseases such as: chicken
pox & measles may lead to damages in the
brain, as can accidents such as a blow to the
head or near drowning.
•
Toxins: Lead, mercury and other environmental
toxins can cause irreparable damage to the brain
and nervous system.
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Poverty and cultural deprivation.
Children in poor families may become
Intellectually Disabled because of:
• Malnutrition.
• Disease-producing conditions.
• Inadequate medical care.
• Environmental health hazards.