The following reviews the meanings of intelligence, as well as, how this applies to those with an intellectual disability, and the characteristics of those with intellectual disabilities that results in their eligibility for special education.

The definitions of intelligence included the wide array of possible categories of intelligence. The categories could include: book, social, problem solving, abstract, imaginary, mathematical, scientific, spiritual, plus many more. According to dictionaries, intelligence can be defined as being informed, understanding, and obtaining knowledge or being knowledgeable. The early warning signs of Mental Retardation (Intellectual Disabilities) can include the inability to obtain and retain knowledge resulting in a child that has developmental delays. In other words, a parent may notice their child is not talking, walking, ect on the same time line as their peers. Depending on the severity and acuteness of the parent, the child may be diagnosed  at a different stage in development.

The next step, if you suspect an intellectual disability, is to get the child tested. Tests using Standard Scores must be used to qualify a child for special education and special services. The following represents the use of Standard Scores as the rating scale, which qualifies a student for MR or having an intellectual disability. The numbers are taken from IQ tests with a standard or average score of 100

Diagnosis: Standard Scores

Severe Mental Retardation: 62 or below (Preschool Severe Delay is below 56)
Moderate Mental Retardation: 77 to 63
Mild Mental Retardation: 85 to 78 (or 1 ½ standard deviations on one area)

Different diagnosis and different children have different needs for treatment and schooling. It is important to remember how much brain development is occurring in the first three years of life and seek help as soon as a problem is suspected. Ask the your child’s school psychologist for more information or look for a Developmental Pediatrician in your area.

The development of children with mental retardation can sometimes look different than their typically developing peer. It is important to look at the whole child, their physical, language, cognitive, and psychosocial development. Once a child is identified, there are professional and parental interventions that can be put in place to help the child reach their full potential.

Physical Development

• Children develop at a rapid rate, while both as a fetus and as a newborn.
• Physical development encompasses renal, endocrine, skeletal, gastrointestinal, reproductive, muscular, and neurological systems
• At age 2, a child’s brain is 90% the size of an adults

Signs of Abnormal Physical Development

• If a child’s head is abnormally large or small
• Lack or absence of some reflexes
• Abnormal weight or height
• Inability/delay to perform typical motor developmental milestones

Language Development

• Birth: Crying and sucking noises
• 1-2 months: Cooing, rhythmic crying
• 3-6 months: Babbling
• 9-14 months: Speaking first words
• 18-24 months: Speaking first sentences
• 3-4 years: Using all basic syntactical structures
• 4-8 years: Articulating correctly all speech sounds in context

 Signs of Abnormal Language Development

While keeping in mind the above development timeline, it is important to consider the way your child speaks.  Consider the number of words in their vocabulary, how they  pronounces the words, and the way they create sentences

Cognitive Development

• 2-4 months: Inspects own hands, begins to play with rattle
• 6-10 months: Plays peek-a-boo, slides toy on surface
• 15-18 months: Brings object from other room on request
• 22-24 months: Identifies 6 body parts, matches sounds to animals
• 30-36 months: Plays house, completes 3-4 piece puzzle, understands all common verbs

Signs of Abnormal Cognitive Development

If a child appear uninterested in manipulation, has delays in other areas, or has issues with sensory environment, cognitive development could be delayed.

Psychosocial Development

• Smiling starting at 4 to 5 months spontaneously, 6 to 10 months into a mirror
• 3-6 months follows moving people; 7 to 10 months discriminates stranger; 11 to 24 months waves good-bye
• 8 to 10 months holds own bottle

Signs of Abnormal Psychosocial Development

• Extreme temper tantrums that do not seem to be linked to triggers
• Extreme shyness or withdrawal
• Lack of fear in high danger situations can be signs of abnormal psychosocial development

Now what?…

These measures of development may happen slightly before or after the suggested time frame as each child develops at there own rate.  If you have a concern for your child, talk to your child’s doctor about them.

When any child has health, behavioral, developmental, or learning issues, it becomes an issue for the family and their support group. Many professionals help families through these times. When children are diagnosed with Mental retardation, normally the primary care physician is the first professional families consult, as they commonly are the same professionals that identify and label the child with mental retardation (Drew, 2003).

As the family begins on the process of deciding what actions to take in order to best fit their child, it is important for them to understand the definitions of mental retardation, disciplines for helping those with mental retardation, and a greater understanding of the risk factors associated with mental retardation. It is important to find services for those with mental retardation.

As a child starts through the process of being identified as a person with mental retardation, they will often encounter assessments. There are two basic types of assessments: norm-referenced assessment and criterion-referenced assessment (Drew, 2003). The norm-reference scale is commonly used for diagnosis through things, like the IQ test. This kind of test is based on a comparison of the individual’s score and their deviation from a standard or normal score (Drew, 2003). A child that is found to have an IQ between fifty-five and seventy-one is considered to have Mild Mental Retardation . This normally means that the child will need minimal supports and can eventually have an independent lifestyle. A child who scores between forty and fifty-four on their IQ is considered to have Moderate Mental Retardation and is trainable but will need supervision for the rest of their lives. A child who scores between twenty-five and thirty-nine on their IQ is considered to have Severe Mental Retardation and will need extensive support but training may be possible. A child who scores below twenty-five on their IQ is considered to have Profound Mental Retardation and will likely not be trainable and need constant support throughout their life. Although these tests do give us an idea of where a child’s intelligence might be, the label does not fully encompass the child’s abilities. Our society is a label filled society, but parents and providers need to look at the bigger picture to see the uniqueness of the child.

Another way to assess the child is through evaluating the child’s abilities and needs without the focus on referencing the standardized norm. Often professionals use criterion-reference assessments for a child once they start therapies and school. These tests are used to determine the child’s present level of abilities by looking at what skills they have accomplished and what skills they should next accomplish. This often helps the professionals decide where to start helping the child with Mental Retardation toward achieving their next steps (Drew, 2003). It is also important to consider the limitations of the child, the strengths that the child has, if the child’s assessment considered cultural and linguistic diversity, what supports the child needs, and how these supports can help the child to succeed. A child can truly benefit from finding a program that is right for them according to their needs and abilities.

References

Drew, C. J., & Hardman, M. L. (2003). Mental retardation: A life cycle approach (8^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

According to the American Association on Mental Retardation (2004), it is important to consider the adaptive behavior components that the child processes. These can be broken into three components: conceptual, social, and practical . The conceptual component includes language, reading, writing skills, money concepts, and self-direction. The social component includes responsibility, self-esteem, gullibility, ability to follow rules and laws, and the ability to avoid victimization. The practical component includes the individual’s ability to perform daily living tasks, such as bathing, and the ability to have a future occupation.

There are lots of supports available for children with Mental Retardation. After considering their needs, it is important to find the support for them to fulfill their needs. Some things that might be necessary are considering the appropriate teacher and classroom environment. Throughout a child’s life, they may need other additional supports such as therapists, respite providers, financial support, employee assistance, in-home living assistance, befriending, health assistance, behavioral support, and extra help with community access and use (Drew, 2005).

With so many professional in the child’s life, it is imperative to look at the different techniques available to the child. According to Drew (2003), there are three different techniques: transdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary. A transdisciplinary approach includes a primary therapist, usually the child’s therapist, which uses no specifically focused discipline, but instead focuses on the needs of the individual in-service (Drew, 2005). The lead therapists may consult other professionals in order to better support the child’s needs. A multidisciplinary approach includes a lot of different individuals that each work with the child on their specific discipline (Drew, 2003). For example, a child might receive occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy, but these professionals do not exchange information to work as a team but instead each focuses on their specific therapy goals. An interdisciplinary approach includes lots of providers that share information with one another, but each focus on their own discipline. The same speech, occupational, and physical therapists, under interdisciplinary approach, can use more overlap to as a team address important issues to the family and perhaps sooner meet the goals set by the family for the child. Many believe that collaboration is best as it can help to achieve the child’s ideal goals. Normally the goals are set by the family in support by the professionals during either an IFSP’s, individual family service plan, an IEP’s, individual education plans, and/or an ISP’s, individual service plans. In order to reach collaboration, it is important for providers to attend these meetings. Some other options for collaboration include technological approaches. No matter the approach that the providers take, it is most important that they are making the effort to connect to one another.

Research has found that predominantly more children with disabilities are born into poverty levels (Drew, 2005). This does not mean that children with mental retardation are not found in every socioeconomic class as there is also a genetic link to Mental Retardation, but there is a link with poor-health care and poverty to higher rates of developmental disability (Drew, 2003). This can help to explain why so many children with disabilities are from culturally different backgrounds. It has also been speculated that perhaps the social norm of IQ tests and other norm-referenced assessments do not give adequate allowance on the diversity of cultures behavioral differences and language barriers (Drew, 2003). It is important for professionals to evaluate the best way to service a family. They should think about the language of the family to give the child a fair assessment and to make sure that the family fully understands the child’s education and health. It is also important that the professionals consider the cultural views of the family on school, disabilities, health, and parent-teacher interaction. Professionals should also make sure that the family has transportation or is willing to meet at a different location.

For professionals, families, and children, there are many options and considerations to take into account once a child is diagnosed with Mental Retardation. It is important that everyone keep the family and child’s best interest in mind, so that the child can succeed in reaching their goals and fulfilling their individual potential.

References

American Association on Mental Retardation. (2004). Definitions of mental retardation. Retrieved November 1, 2005, from http://www.aamr.org/Policies/faq_mental_retardation.shtml

Drew, C. J., & Hardman, M. L. (2003). Mental retardation: A life cycle approach (8^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

As children complete high school, often there are expectations of independence and decisions to make on their next steps. This transition can be difficult for anyone, especially those with mental retardation. There are many decisions for them to make from this point on, such as living, employment, extra training, and social decisions. Throughout the rest of their life, they face many choices. The following paper will discuss their needs and provide ideas on how the community can help these individuals to be successful.

The congress has set up four big goals aimed to make adult-life more accommodating for those with disabilities (ADA). These goals include: equal opportunity, independence, inclusion, and productivity (ADA). Equal opportunity includes the chance for those in the United States with disabilities to get higher educations and the chance to live the ideal American life (ADA). Independence includes the right for those with disabilities to make their own decisions and assert control over themselves and their environment (ADA). Inclusion includes the right of those with disabilities to have full participation as a citizen in the U.S. with access to the same community resources, activities, and shelter that their non-disabled peers have access to (ADA). The congress’ idea of productivity includes the right of individuals with disabilities to have jobs where they contribute to their own financial standing, as well as, their families and community (ADA). With these ideals in mind, those with mental retardation have opportunities available to them that are in context with their own limitations.

At eighteen years of age, most individuals gain legal independence, however, if a parent chooses to challenge this, the individual’s rights can be overturned due to mentally competency. If the individual with mental retardation receive independence, they have many choices to make. According to Turnbull, Turnbull, Shank, Smith, and Leal (2002), 2.5 percent of individuals with mental retardation enroll in postsecondary academic programs after high school, 5.7 percent enroll in post secondary vocational programs after high school, 40.8 percent become competitively employed, 14.8 percent live independently, and they earn 8,274 dollars as average annual compensation for workers.

Many factors contribute to the success of Adults with mental retardation. They include self-determination, community resources, and social adaptation. As they go through school and therapy, they are often preparing for life after school. Once they get to the point of adult standing, they need to be able to make decisions, enquire on needs, and search for resources. They need to be able to keep appointments, go to the doctors, take medicine, get groceries, keep hygiene, and live through daily transitions. If they are unable to do any of these things, they need to ask for the resources and/or get the appropriate services.

It is important for these individuals to receive support through verbal confirmation and physical resources during their high school to young adult transition and throughout their adult life. The community can provide ongoing services for those that need continued therapies. They can also provide accessible resources, such as job placement, social opportunities, and reference material for those with mental retardation. As a community resource, it is important to find what is appropriate for the individual as each is different. It may be helpful to have specific counselors in their last semester at school to go through their options with them. They might also need ongoing caseworkers that check-in on them yearly to make sure they are getting the services they desire. These caseworkers can also help the individuals in service to find job opportunities, social events, and answers to their other questions. They can give them referrals to the organizations that those in service have not been able to find for themselves. Some individuals with mental retardation may require supervision for some activities, like cooking, so ongoing respite may be necessary. The ongoing respite can also help those individuals to feel more independent, as they can live on their own terms with workers that help when necessary. This resource along with the other one’s desired by the person in service can help the individual with mental retardation find success in living a fulfilling life.

Each person with a disability is different. They merely suffer from a common disability, such as mental retardation, but in fact are they themselves individuals with their own wants and desires. It is important for us as teachers, caseworkers, families, and other providers to support them in defining their own life. It is important to prepare them for the steps they take and then support them throughout their adventure.

References

The Americans with Disabilities Act. (n.d.) Information and Technical Assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Retrieved December 4, 2005, from www.ada.gov

Turnbull, Rud, Ann Turnbull, Marilyn Shank, Sean Smith, & Dorthy Leal (2002). Exceptional Lives: Special Education in Today’s Schools(3^rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.