Understanding Students Understanding Students with Intellectual with Intellectual

DisabilitiesDisabilities

Chapter 9

Defining Intellectual Disabilities

AAIDD definition 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.

Adaptive behaviors • everyday living skills such as walking,

talking, getting dressed, going to school, going to work, preparing a meal, cleaning the house, etc.

• They are skills that a person learns in the process of adapting to his/her surroundings.

Definitions of Intensities of Support

Intermittent: “As needed” Limited: Consistency, but time limited Extensive: Regular involvement (daily),

not time limited Pervasive: Constant, high intensity,

potential life sustaining nature

Characteristics of Intellectual Disabilities

Limitations in Intellectual Functioning Measured through use of IQ tests (70 or below)

Memory (short-term) Generalization Motivation (outer-directedness) Limitations in Adaptive Behavior

Three domains: Conceptual Skills, Social Skills, Practical Skills

Self-determination

Determining the Causes

Causes by TimingPrenatalPerinatalPostnatal

Causes by TypeBiomedicalchromosomes

SocialBehavioralEducational

Evaluating

Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale

AAMR Adaptive Behavior Scale

Transition

Transition Planning Inventory◦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

Paraprofessionals

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

support, they may isolate students; velcroed effect

◦Roles and Responsibilities

Measuring Students’ Progress

Progress in the general curriculum◦Data-based monitoring: Requires teachers regularly

to collect different types of data such as: 1. Response-by-response data2. Instructional and test data3. Error data4. Anecdotal data

Making Accommodations for Assessment

Accommodations may include:◦Dictating responses to someone◦Having extended time ◦Having test items orally read◦Clarifying test items