Chapter 8: Mild Intellectual Disabilities

Adapted from a presentation by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Focus Questions How are intellectual disabilities

defined? What are the primary criteria used to

identify students with intellectual disabilities?

What are the major characteristics of students with intellectual disabilities?

What educational practices improve outcomes for students with intellectual disabilities?

IDEA Definition• Significantly sub-average intellectual

functioning• Exists concurrently with deficits in

adaptive behavior• Manifested during the developmental

period• Adversely affects educational

performance

Levels of SupportsThe AAMR recommends identifying students based on levels of supports needed to function effectively:• Intermittent• Limited• Extensive• Pervasive

Eligibility CriteriaThe child must meet the criteria with regard to:

• Intellectual Functioning• Adaptive Behavior• Academic Functioning

Intellectual FunctioningThe child has a standard score of 2 or more standard deviations below the mean (<70) on an individually administered intelligence test• verbal ability• either performance or nonverbal ability

Normal Distribution of IQ Scores

Adaptive BehaviorThe child has deficits in measures of adaptive behavior:• Communication• Self-care• Social skills • Home-living skills• Use of community

resources

• Leisure• Self-direction • Health and Safety • Applying academic

skills• Work

Academic FunctioningIntellectual functioning adversely affects educational performance as shown by achievement tests scores in:• Language• Reading• Writing• Mathematics

creating a need for special education and related services.

Primary CharacteristicsAcademic• Low achievement in all areas• Delayed language development• Basic literacy and functional math

Cognitive• Slow rate of learning• Limited attention• Difficulty remembering• Lack of generalization

Primary CharacteristicsSocial• Trouble understanding social interactions• Difficulty picking up social cues• Problems discriminating between appropriate and inappropriate behavior• Lack of opportunity (in segregated settings)

Educational Practices• Functional vs. general curriculum• Curricular adaptations • Universal Design for Learning• Assistive technology• Direct/systematic instruction• Hands-on “real life” experiences • Social skills instruction• Peer Tutoring

Systematic Instruction• Task Analysis

– Break complex skill into steps– Teach steps using prompting system

• Prompting systems– System of least prompts – Time delay

• Data collected to determine effectiveness