A Profile of Intellectual Disability | Info for Parents and Teachers (2024)

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Definition

Intellectual disability, formerly labeled “mental retardation,” isdefined bytheIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as “significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently [at the same time] with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”There aretwo key components within this definition: a student’s IQ and his or her capability to function independently,usually referred to as adaptive behavior.

You may find that your state still uses the term “mental retardation.” In 2012, the federal government enacted legislation changing the term mental retardation to intellectual disabilities in all federal law. Despite being encouraged to quickly replace all references to mental retardation and its derivatives, some state offices have still not made the changes to the less offensive term in their legislation and documents.

Common Traits

An IQ below70 to 75 indicates an intellectual disability, according totheNational Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities(calledNICHCY). The deficits in “adaptive behavior” cited by IDEAprove trickier to evaluate. Factors considered include the ability to comprehendandparticipate in a conversation, tounderstandandfollow social norms and toperform activities such as getting dressed and using the restroom.NICHCYexplainsthat thecauses ofintellectual disabilities vary from pregnancy issues andcomplicationsatbirthto genetic conditions (such asDown syndrome and fragile X syndrome)and health problems early in life, including diseaseslike measles and contact with poisonous substances such as lead and mercury.

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A number of traits can point toanintellectual disability. The National Institute of Child Health andHuman Development (NICHD) lists the following among earlyindicators:

• Delay in reaching developmental milestones such as sitting up and talking
• Difficulty remembering things
• Trouble comprehending accepted social behaviorsand/orunderstanding the consequences to actions
• Poor problem-solving skills

Educational Challenges

Time to take a deep breath. Parents, you may experience doubt about your child’s educational path and long-term future. Teachers, you cancertainly seethateducatingstudentswith intellectual disabilities involves numerous challenges. Still, NICHCY emphasizes, “They will learn,butit will take them longer.”

Obviously, an intellectual disability createsmany educational challenges that must be overcome. These include:

• Trouble understanding new concepts
• Inappropriate behavior
• Limited vocabulary
• Difficulty accomplishing complex tasks

Tips for Teachers and Parents

Educating individuals with intellectual disabilities requires awareness and much patience. Awareness involves a conscious effort to choose activities and words wisely. For instance, if a student demonstrates artistic talent, encourage him or her by providing assignments geared towards this skill set. Parents can help by suggesting related activities thattheir children can pursue as hobbies. In addition, carefully picking your words will reduce potential problems caused by students’ limited vocabularies.

Patienceis an integral component in addressing the aforementioned educational challenges. You will likely need to go over lessons or correct a student’s inappropriate behavior multiple times. One way to make repetition more effective is to accompany verbal instruction with additional cues; for example, show pictures to reiterate spoken directions.

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To combat difficulty incompleting complex tasks, NICHCY advises dividing these tasks into small steps.The organization alsorecommendsgiving immediate feedback to help a child learn when he or she is performing a step correctly.