Intellectual Disability Pyramid

According to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (2017), an intellectual disability is classified as a deficit in “intellectual functioning” and “adaptive behaviors.” For a disability to be qualified as an intellectual disability it must have originated before the age of 18. Some diagnoses that fit under intellectual disability include autism, Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. “Developmental disability” is the umbrella term, encompassing many other disabilities, including those that fall under the category of intellectual disability. Developmental disabilities typically impact an individual in a physical way, such as cerebral palsy or epilepsy.

Many people may say one is a retard without knowing the truth behind the actual word. Intellectual Disability, also known as Mental Retardation, is a very serious psychological disorder that few are faced with for life. Intellectual Disability is characterized by a below-average level of intelligence (a mental ability) that lacks skills necessary for daily living. An IQ is the standard way to measure the level of intelligence one may have. Roughly 95% of humans have the IQ between 70 and 130. (Meyers and DeWall, 2014). The other five percent are either absolute genius or intellectually disabled. Being intellectually disabled can be caused in many ways

Disabilities; these may include a physical or learning disability. Children with a learning disability may not be capable of holding their attention for an extended period or pay close attention in class. A learning disability is not a problem with intelligence, disorders are caused by a difference in how information is received, processed and communicated in the brain.

When learning about Intellectual Disability (ID) it is important to explore the subject with people that work with students of ID. The (SPED) special education team placed together for a student in order to determine the students individual education plan (IEP). This SPED team consist of: Special Educator: Mr. Richard Franklin, General Educator: Ms. Rama Smith (Spelling, Literature), Speech Therapist: Mrs. LuDonna Martin, Principal: Mr. John Denton, Community Organizer and Retired Teacher: Mrs. Nelda Clements and I as the Special

These students have normal and sometimes above normal intelligence but they struggling with problems that hinder them from learning and progressing like other students. More recently it is thought that a student with learning disability could show one of more than 500,000 combinations of cognitive or socioemotional problems (Heward, 2010). Learning disabilities cause students to struggle with so many things in school such as academics, emotions, and socializing and learning disabilities also cause students to have problems away from school. Students with learning disabilities may experience problems with learning to read or comprehend what they read, learning to do math or develop mathematical reasoning, learning vocabulary, spelling or the written language, and learning to get along with others and exhibit appropriate social skills. They may also have problems with paying attention, hyperactivity, and sometimes behavior,

Beakstead, personal communication, October 31, 2013). Alternately, another student’s area of concentration might be based solely on independent living skills at home or with caretakers, and less focused on academic goals. As the goals are implemented by the special education team the student’s achievements can be evaluated daily, weekly, or monthly and in independent and group settings until mastery of the IEP goal is achieved, and where the learning goals of the IEP are age and skill level appropriate and address the future needs of the student. Additionally, these experiences encourage opportunities to practice new knowledge and skills, where teacher-directed and student feedback is available, and where instructional practice and student expectations can be reflected on and adjusted if necessary (Johnson-Gerard, 2012).

Classification of ID students was the next topic of the interview. Classifying ID students can be difficult agreed both the regular and special education teachers. Classifying intellectual disabilities can be categorized into these several groups, borderline, mild, moderate, severe, and profound (Kerr, 2008). Mrs. Hoffman discussed how categorizes vary and allow teachers to classify students with different severities of intellectual disability. Ms. Kelly recommended students with moderate, severe, and profound levels of intellectual disabilities are placed in special education classes full time with some interaction with regular education students. Mrs. Hoffman explained how borderline levels of ID are classified as functioning but slower learners than normal students.

According to the website for the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, IDD is defined as: intellectual disability is a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior, which covers a range of everyday social and practical skills. Furthermore, there are three major criteria for intellectual disability: significant limitations in intellectual functions, significant limitations in adaptive behavior, and onset before the age of 18. IDD is not determined by an IQ test; however, it does help in measuring mental function. A test score below of around 70—or as high as 75—indicates a limitation in intellectual functioning. (http://aaidd.org/intellectual-disability/definition/faqs-on-intellectual-disability#.VZvvE8JRHrc).

The articles describe these learners as having difficulties with abstract thinking and categorizing as well as applying their learning to new situations. There is difficulty with the transfer of information. Use of language is concrete. These students often can only follow single step directions and their sentence development is simple rather than complex. It also points out that there are behavioral and emotional issues that accompany this disability. This population often has emotional outburst due to frustrations and lack of understanding of the expectations. Socially, they may struggle to maintain friendships and do not always understand social cues and rules. “Extensive research evidence reveals that the social skills of students with mild intellectual disabilities tend to be improved when they are provided with appropriate supports and included in general education classroom with age appropriate peers” ( McLeaskey, Rosenberg ,Westling,

All teachers dream of the classroom filled with fifteen tranquil, enthusiastic students, all with their note books out and pencils prompt for note taking. This is the classroom where everyone works together, at the same pace, and without any interruptions or distractions. This is the ideal classroom setting. The only problem with this picture is that it does not exist. Students are all different. Kids all learn different ways, and at varying paces. Both Physical and Learning Disabilities can hinder a child’s learning speed and hold them back from the rest of the class. It can be very difficult to identify a child with a learning disability because students can often be misunderstood and labeled as unmotivated and lazy. These students

The concept of the learning disability is relatively new, having been constructed identified within the past fifty to sixty years (Sleeter, 2010). Surprisingly, the construct of the learning disability hinges upon creation of an ideological standard of normal; the implicit assumption that we as educators know what constitutes right or normal attitudes or behavior, and that anything which falls outside of normal is a potential disability (Sleeter, 2010). These are unproven assumptions, rather than empirical, data-driven fact, and form the backbone for current definition, assessment, and interventional methods (Sleeter, 2010).

It is important to identify a child’s disability as early as possible in order for the student to get proper intervention services and set up with an individualized learning plan. Differentiation of instruction is important for all of the children in the classroom, not just those with a disability. All students have different learning styles, and all students have the subjects that they excel at and the subjects that they struggle with. “Teachers need the ability to alter instruction to meet student needs, interests, and abilities (Tomlinson, 2001).” One of the most difficult areas in teaching is easily classroom management, even the easiest going students have days of challenging behavior. “Students at risk of disabilities or who have other disabilities engage in a wide range of challenging

Intellectual Disability. Intellectual disability is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors. Time out and modeling have the highest level of usability with a weighted mean of 2.69, followed by activity reinforcers with a weighted mean of 2.63. Time out has been effective in reducing behaviors such as tantrums, inappropriate social behaviors, yelling, aggression, time spent out-of-seat and inappropriate verbalizations which are common to children with intellectual disability (Alberto, Delfin and Andrews, 2002).

Intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) is a disorder with onset during the developmental period that includes both intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits in conceptual, social, and practical domains. The following three criteria must be met:

Educating students with moderate to severe disabilities can be extremely challenging, as students require the utilization of differentiated instruction and individualized education plans (IEP’s). It is imperative for special education teachers to identify and employ best practices; ensuring students with moderate to severe disabilities have access to an efficient and appropriate education within a least restrictive environment. Assessing students with moderate to severe disabilities can be difficult, as creating optimal testing environments, identifying accommodations, and modifications are necessities. In addition, it is imperative to note that an assessment is a singular event; indicating and identifying student competency and ability