Intellectual Disabilities

Definition

A student is considered to have an intellectual disability if intellectual functioning is more than two standard deviations below the norm on an individually administered Level C assessment instrument of intellectual functioning, and there is delayed adaptive behaviour and functioning of similar degree. Students can experience intellectual disabilities across a range: mild to moderate to severe to profound.

Symptoms and Assessment

A psycho-educational assessment will be used to determine a student's level of functioning and should be based on a variety of measures of intellectual ability and adaptive behaviour, as well as information from the family and, where available, other service providers.

Instruments such as the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and the Adaptive Behavior Scale should be used in the assessment of an individual's adaptive behaviour. The most frequently used tests in assessing intellectual ability are the most current revisions of the Stanford-Binet and the Wechsler Intelligence scales.

Strategies and Planning

Most students with intellectual disabilities benefit from and may learn best from being with age peers, but generally also require additional intervention. As they proceed through elementary school, their IEPs should specify any modifications or adaptations to programs, use of special materials, and the measures of progress. Parents must be given the opportunity to participate in the planning process, and to the extent that they are able, students should also participate.

The older the student, the greater the need for concrete educational objectives. At the secondary level, a student with an intellectual disability should have the opportunity and option to access a variety of educational and social experiences both within the school and in the community.

For many students, continued participation in academic areas, with adaptations and support where needed, is both reasonable and desirable. For other students, increasing community integration and work experience/work placement opportunities are most enabling.

My Education, My Profession

by Marian Minar