Children with Intellectual Disabilities

Catherine McCabeAmy Richardson

Kathleen ShepardAndrea Smith

University of Central FloridaEEX 6107

Dr. Lee CrossOctober 2009

Characteristics of Student’s with Intellectual Disabilities

• Earlier labeled as EMH, TMH, PMH (educable mentally handicapped, trainable mentally handicapped, profoundly mentally handicapped

• Children will vary widely in ability levels

• General developmental delays with academics, social, and adaptive behavior skills

• Poor social skills • Delays in cognitive skills development • Delays with language development

(Expressive and Receptive)• Low achievement across all content

and skills areas

• Children are able to develop basic literacy skills

• Children can learn basic computational and functional math skills

• Provide instruction with vocabulary development and phonological skills

• Provide teaching in context and apply to other areas for generalization of skills

• Focus on meaningful content• Use strategies for remembering• Direct attention to critical areas• Remove extraneous stimuli• Increase difficulty over timeEveryone is a genius at least once a year.

The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together.

George C. Lichtenberg

Impact on Speech and Language DevelopmentSchool Considerations:• Child may take longer to process information• Child may have a difficult time understanding:

Questions Abstract concepts instructions

• Child may be easily distracted or have a short attention span

• Expressive communication compromised• Receptive communication compromised• Adapting to new situations• Future planning• Problem solving• May experience difficulties in literacy skills• Short- and long-term memory• May experience motor delays• Pragmatics

trouble understanding social space speaking in public understanding social rules Turn taking Eye contact

Down Syndrome:• 75% of young children have at least a

mild hearing problem• Develop language skills slower than other

cognitive skills• Receptive skills greater than expressive• Skill depends on: hearing status, speech-

motor status, cognitive skills associated with communication acquisition

Communication Ability Affected By: • Organic Causes

•Down Syndrome•Autism Spectrum Disorders•Hearing and/or Vision Impairment•Fragile-X Syndrome•others

• Environmental Causes•Traumatic Brain Injury•Cerebral Palsy•Malnutrition•Poisoning•others

Impact on Second Language Acquisition

Strategies

• Use multiple modalities to communicate• Use language the child understands• Allow ample time for processing• Present tasks in steps• Allow for many opportunities to . communicate• Use low- mid- or high-technology • Focus on functional, social, & pragmatic . communication skills• Address current communication needs as well as predict future needs• Arrange child’s environment to make communication necessary• Follow child’s lead, engage him in desired activities• Build social routines• Use prompts:

•Time-delay: withhold an item until the . child initiates a request for it•Verbal: ask open-ended questions

• Expand vocal efforts, even if they are not. recognizable words

• Use concrete items and examples to explain concepts • Role model desired behaviors; clearly identify expected behaviors• Plan ahead with class activities• Do not overwhelm student with multiple or complex instructions• Use teaching strategies such as chunking, backward shaping, and role modeling • Learn the individual’s needs and characteristics, but expect daily variances• Help the individual be in control of their learning as much as possible• Put skills in context so there is a reason for learning tasks

***Involve families and significant others in learning activities, planning, and special days, as well as informing you about the needs of their young person***

United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs

www.osepideasthatwork.org

Resources:

American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities http://www.aamr.org

Center for Disease Controlhttp://cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/IntellectualDisability.pdf

Center for Effective Collaboration & Practicehttp://cecp.air.org/schools_special.asp

Council for Exceptional Children http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home

How to select, administer, and evaluate the use of accommodations for instruction www.osepideasthatwork.org/UDL/index.asp

Learn about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) http://udlselfcheck.cast.org/learn.php

Measuring the achievement of students with disabilities www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/twopercent.html

Merck Medical Encyclopediahttp://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec23/ch285/ch285a.html

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY). Check site pages for specific disabilities, and early intervention strategies. http://www.nichcy.org/

National Center on Accelerating Student Learning http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/casl/

National Down Syndrome Society http://www.ndss.org/

Planning for All Learners (PAL) Toolkit http://www/cast.org/teachingeverystudent/toolkits/tk/introduction.cfm?tk

Positive behavioral interventions & supports, and professional development in UDL www.pbis.org

Teaching Children with ADHD www.worksupport.com/documents/prof_asst_newsletterVCUI-06.pdf

Videos on Universal Design for Learning http://lessonbuilder.cast.org