Week 2: Intellectual Disabilities

Question 1

What is Intelligence?

Answer 1

Involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience. Refers to a general mental capacity.

Question 2

Define Intellectual Disability?

Answer 2

A commonly used definition describes an individual who has significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behaviour.

Question 3

What is the criteria to Intellectual Disability?

Answer 3

1. Characterised by deficits in general mental abilities such as reasoning, problem-solving, planning, abstract thinking, judgement, academic learning and learning from experience. Deficit of 2 or more standard deviations in IQ below the population mean for a person’s age and cultural group, which is typically an IQ score of approximately 70 or below.
2. The deficits impair functioning in comparison to a person’s age and cultural group by limiting and restricting participation and performance in one or more aspects of daily life activities. The limitations result in the need for ongoing support at school, work, or independent life. Typically, adaptive behaviour is measured using individualised, standardised, culturally appropriate, psychometrically sound tests.
3. Onset during the developmental period.

Question 4

Define Adaptive Behaviour.

Answer 4

These are skills that people have learnt in order to function in their everyday lives.

Question 5

List and provide examples of the types of Adaptive Behaviour Skills.

Answer 5

Conceptual Skills: Money concepts, and self-directions.
Social Skills: Self-esteem, rule following, and conversation initiation.
Practical Skills: Eating, dressing, toileting, and taking medication.

Question 6

Name some causes of Intellectual Disability.

Answer 6

• Chromosomal, genetic abnormalities and birth defects (approx. 32%).
• Toxic substances (approx. 4%).
• Infections (approx. 3%).
• Metabolic disorders (approx 2%).
• Other (perinatal effects and trauma) (approx. 9%).

Question 7

Why isn’t an Intellectual Disability identified until individual goes to school?

Answer 7

• Most have low support needs initially.
• Infant tests are unreliable.
• Increase of the demands made on the student (educational and adaptive).

Question 8

Name an implication of Intellectual Disability.

Answer 8

Individuals with this disability don’t look different to students without, they just learn slower than others.

Question 9

Name and describe the levels of Intellectual Disability.

Answer 9

• Mild: When students with mild intellectual disability are included in mainstream classrooms, the intention is undoubtedly that they will follow the normal curriculum as far as possi­ble (ACARA, 2013; Westwood, 2018a). Students with mild intellectual disability will also need more frequent direct guidance, emotional support, and encouragement from the teacher, classroom assistant, and peers.
• Moderate to Severe: This degree of disability often results in significant limitations of development in the following areas, and these must represent priorities for intervention and teaching:
• Language and communication.
• Self-care and daily living skills.
• Social development.
• Self-regulation and self-direction.
• Basic academic skills (literacy and numeracy).
• Transition to employment or sheltered work.
• Independent functioning in the community.

Question 10

Name and describe the learning characteristics of Intellectual Disability.

Answer 10

Attention: Difficulties in maintaining attention and will fail to learn or remember what the teacher is trying to teach.
Memory: Difficulty in storing information in long-term memory. Takes longer than expected to reach the desired state of automaticity.
Language Delay: Communication skills develop at a slower state than individual without an intellectual disability.
Social Development: The presence of social skills are absence and the individual tends to experience rejection by peers.
Self-Regulation and Self-Determination: The use of cognitive methods are used to increase self-regulation and self-determination.
Physical Fitness: Students with Intellectual Disability tend to fail to regularly exercise.

Question 11

Name and describe Intellectual Disability Approaches.

Answer 11

Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA): A broad term that covers several different approaches that can be used within special ed. Involves setting clear behavioural objectives for a student, and devising a schedule for rewarding him or her at every incremental step when moving successfully toward that objective.
Discrete Trial Training: A type of ABA method for teaching a skill or behaviour using simple and structured steps, with practice and reinforcement provided for all correct responses at each and every step.
Constant Time Delay: Often, in one-to-one teaching situations, a teacher or tutor tends to step in too quickly after asking a question or giving an instruction.
Intensive Interaction: A method known as intensive interaction has been developed for use with individuals who have severe and complex disabilities, lack verbal communication, and have limited social interaction with others.
Preference-Based Teaching (PBT): PBT is based on the belief that students enjoy engaging in learning activities much more, and attention is more effectively gained and maintained, if the mode of teaching and the materials used are compatible with their personal preferences.
Snoezelen Multi-sensory Environments: Snoezelen approach provides both sensory stimulation and relaxation for severely or profoundly disabled individuals. Snoezelen is reported to have particular benefits for calming intellectually disabled or autistic individuals who also have emotional and behavioural problems.

Question 12

Name and describe three Behavioural Strategies.

Answer 12

1. Mastery Learning: One skill/concept is learnt (mastered) before moving on to the next. Can be constructed/utilised according to student need.
2. Direct Instruction: Very explicit, scripted lessons. Systematic, sequenced, faultless instruction.
3. Explicit Instruction: Systematic, direct, engaging, and success oriented. Unambiguous approach to teaching that includes instructional design and delivery procedures.

Question 13

Describe Cognitive Approaches.

Answer 13

Focuses on strategic behaviour and meta-cognition. Strategic behaviour refers to how we take in, store, retrieve, and manipulate information. Meta-cognition refers to what we know about our own learning, memory and problem-solving methods.

Question 14

Name and describe two Cognitive Strategies.

Answer 14

1. Self-Regulated Learning: Shown to have a positive impact on learning, with an average positive effect equivalent to approximately five additional months’ progress within one academic year.
2. Peer Tutoring: Shown to have a positive impact on learning, with an average positive effect equivalent to approximately five additional months’ progress within one academic year.

Question 15

Name some general strategies.

Answer 15

• Provide real, concrete based activities at all times.
• Provide visual cues to prompt the next step in a task.
• Use additional helpers where possible (parents, volunteers) and involve the parents and other professionals in planning.
• Have high, but reasonable expectations.