Intellectual Disabilities Overview

Intellectual Disabilities: Overview

• Intellectual disability involves significantly below-average general intellectual functioning, combined with deficits in adaptive behaviors, evident during the developmental period and affecting educational performance.
• An IQ score below 70-75 often indicates intellectual disability.
• Adaptive behaviors encompass conceptual, social, and practical skills needed for daily life.

Conceptual Skills

• These include literacy, understanding concepts of number, money, and time.

Social Skills

• Include interpersonal skills, social responsibility, self-esteem, problem-solving, and following rules.

Practical Skills

• Involve activities of daily living (e.g., personal care), occupational skills, money management, safety, healthcare, travel, routines, and telephone use.

Common Characteristics

• Challenges in cognitive functioning and adaptive behaviors.
• Difficulty with problem-solving, reasoning, and academic learning.
• Limited communication and social interaction skills.

Historical Background: Attitudes

• Societal views have evolved from rejection and isolation to acceptance and inclusion.
• The eugenics movement advocated for sterilization or institutionalization of individuals with intellectual disabilities.
• Historically, many individuals with intellectual disabilities were institutionalized in large, isolated facilities.
• The Kallikak Family Study incorrectly linked intellectual disabilities to heredity.

Parent Groups and National Associations

• Advocacy groups like The Arc have increased support and recognition for individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families.

Assessment

• Standardized intelligence tests (e.g., IQ tests) measure cognitive abilities.
• Tools like the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales evaluate conceptual, social, and practical skills.

Assessment of Support Levels

• Support levels are described as intermittent, limited, extensive, or pervasive, depending on the intensity and frequency of assistance needed.

Causation

• Prenatal factors like genetic conditions (e.g., Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome) and metabolic disorders.
• Perinatal complications like oxygen deprivation or prematurity.
• Postnatal factors such as infections, malnutrition, or lack of early stimulation.
• Many cases have unknown causes.

Education

• Academic and functional needs are emphasized, focusing on basic literacy, numeracy, life skills, and vocational training.
• Inclusive education integrates students with intellectual disabilities into general education classrooms.
• Transition from school to adulthood focuses on vocational training, independent living skills, and community participation.

Classroom Management and Teaching Strategies

• Collaboration and communication with families are crucial.
• Recommendations to parents include encouraging involvement in their child's education and advocating for necessary supports.
• Behavioral interventions use the A-B-C model (antecedents, behavior, consequences) and reinforcements to support desired behaviors.
• Strategies include visual schedules, social stories, video modeling, and token economies.

Resources

• Educational resources like Exceptional Learners by Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen.