Intellectual Impairment- By Rebecca Young

Intellectual Impairment

Definition:

 It is characterized by a slower rate of development in the ability to communicate, interact, study, work, and establish independence. Physical, emotional, and behavioral development may also be affected. There are many types and levels of intellectual impairment. Some individuals may require support in most aspects of life, while others need help in only a few specific areas.

Characteristics:

Special programming for children with mild and moderate IDD is shaped in part by the characteristics that distinguish  these children from their agemates. There are marked differences in factors linked to level of intellectual development, such as the ability to process information, the ability to acquire and use language, and emotional development (page 155). The most obvious characteristic of children with IDD is their limited cognitive ability- the ability to process information (page 156). Usually teachers will be able to see this happening when looking over the students school work.  Students with IDD also have problems in central processing (page 156). Central processing is the classification of a stimulus through the use of memory, reasoning and evaluation. Classification and memory are problems that students with IDD have to live with (page 156).

Difference from others:

Weisz (1999) synthesized the results of many experiments and came to the conclusion that the evidence strongly supports a similar developmental se

quence for children with IDD-- only slower (page 156). There is something called learned helplessness (page 156). This is when there is a feeling that nothing you can do can make a positive difference. There tends to be a pattern with students with IDD, when they fail at tasks they tend to give up and stop trying because of a feeling built up by consistent failure in academic tasks and situations. There have been several studies that matched students with IDD and nonidentified students of the same mental level (page 157). The students with IDD showed a great decline in the use of effective problem solving strategies (Weisz, 1999). 

Assistive technologies and Education Plans:

                     

There are many ways that technology can be used in the classroom but both students with or without a disability. For example when you have a student who is hard of hearing and want to show a video, make sure the video has subtitles to go along that way the student is able to read along.

As a teacher you also need to know how to act and teach while having a student who has IDD. You should talk directly to the student as if he or she was any other student. You should also involve the student with the other students in the classroom, another important thing to do is model for the students. As a teacher you should be aware that your interactions with the impaired student will serve as a model for interactions with students who are impaired.