According to , Intellectual disabilities, which were once referred to as mental retardation, are characterized by “below average intelligence or mental ability and a lack of skills necessary for day-to-day living. People with intellectual disabilities can and do learn new skills, from mild to profound”. The cause of these disabilities range from; genetic conditions like, Down’s syndrome and fragile X syndrome; problems during pregnancy, such as alcohol or drugs, malnutrition, certain infections etc; problems during childbirth like low oxygen tension; and illness like meningitis, whooping cough, measles or injuries like head injury, near-drowning, extreme malnutrition etc.
Of the above mentioned diseases, Autism is the most prominent. It belongs to a group of disabilities called “autism spectrum disorders”, which means it affects each patient differently. It involves delay in development of basic skills, including social and communication skills. Its typical symptoms include difficulty in; verbal communication; inability to participate in conversation; non-verbal communication; social interactions; making friends; and adjusting to change. Its exact cause is not known, but possible factors include; genetic; metabolic or neurological conditions; infections; and birth related problems.
Such children lag behind their peers in developing academic skills. Those with mild disability generally lag behind in learning to read and write, and also in maths skills. This further leads to delay in other academic areas which require these skills. They continue to lag behind their peers throughout their school years, though some with mild disability do acquire basic literacy and mathematical skills. However, they continue to have problem in learning advanced reasoning or analytical skills.
Children with these intellectual disabilities benefit from the same educational curriculum and strategies as regular students. First strategy is to breakdown the learning tasks into small steps, which are introduced one at a time. The idea is to avoid overwhelming the students, and make learning a progressive step-wise process. The second strategy is to move away from the approach of “lengthy verbal directions and abstract lectures” towards performing tasks hands on. Such children respond better when the information is concrete and observable. For example, teachers can take an abstract approach and theoretically explain gravity. Second approach would be to demonstrate it by dropping a ball, and thirdly by making students experience themselves by making them perform an activity. The last two concrete approaches are better than the abstract explanation. Third strategy for such students would be greater use of visual aids, such as charts, pictures, and graphs. These tools can also be used to explain to them about the kind of behaviour is expected of them. Such charts can be used to record student’s progress and provide positive reinforcement for task or behaviour. Fourth strategy would be to provide direct and immediate feedback. This allows them to make an immediate connection between their behaviour and teacher’s response. Any delay in getting feedback makes them difficult to link cause to effect.
In response to needs of such students, various school boards have developed customized curriculum. As a case in example, we will examine the policies and procedures of Government of British Columbia, Canada. It has created a resource guide the teachers involved in teaching such students. The guide contains practical suggestions about the; nature of the intellectual disabilities; preparation required to teach them; involvement in the transitions and changes that will occur from K to 12 and beyond; tips for teachers covering a large number of topics; case studies; and other resources.
The programs are designed by the teachers, and includes; functional academic skills; communication skills; physical development and personal care; social interaction skills; community living skills; career development/work experience, and transition planning. Those students that require assistance in all areas of self-care throughout their lives, specialist teachers and health care professionals are employed in development of skills. For others having less severe disabilities, teachers have resources available in classroom, like adapting curriculum, to meet their needs. There are wide ranges of interventions available to meet the wide range of requirements of these children.
There are special training procedures for teachers that have or about have a student with intellectual disability in their class. The training steps include; preparation and planning; preparing for school-based team/planning meeting; talking to parents/guardians; and talking to students.
Such students experience significant transition throughout their lives, such as into the; school system, and with the school system; secondary schools; and community. These transitions require proactive early collaboration and planning by everybody involved, including the teachers. Also, care is taken that elements of planning and support services required to carry it out are not disrupted or lost.
Bibliography
British Columbia. Students with Intellectual Disabilities: A Resource Guide for Teachers. n.d. Web. 08 Feb 2014. <https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/sid/>.
Reynolds, Tammy, C E Zupanick and Mark Dombeck. Effective Teaching Methods for People With Intellectual Disabilities. 21 May 2013. Web. 08 Feb 2014. <http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=10365>.
Rosenberg, M S, D L Westling and J McLeskey. Primary Characteristics of Students with Intellectual Disabilities. 24 Jul 2013. Web. 08 Feb 2014. <http://www.education.com/reference/article/characteristics-intellectual-disabilities/>.
WebMD. Autism Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and More. n.d. Web. 08 02 2014. <http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/mental-health-autism>.
—. Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation). n.d. Web. 08 02 2014. <http://www.webmd.com/children/intellectual-disability-mental-retardation>.
