CSDS 114 - INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITES

Developmental and intellectual disability:

• limited ability to: 

  • reason 

  • plan 

  • solve problems

  • think abstractly

  • comprehend complex ideas

  • Learn quickly 

  • Learn from experience

Mild vs Moderate/Severe Disabilities (when are they identified and why)

• Mild: often attributed to maturity

  • Identified: elementary school around 5 or 6 

• Moderate to Severe: 

  • significant, multiple disabling condition, including 

    • sensory 

    • physical 

    • Emotional problems

How do we determine if a person meets this label

• IDEA 

  • significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning 

  • Deficits in adaptive behavior (manifested in development) 

    • Causing effects in child educational performance

Typical IQ scores

• More than 2 standard deviations from 100

  • Sub-average general intellectual functioning IQ measured 70-75 and lower.

Age of diagnosis

Before 18

Terms to characterize severity of this disability

• Mild 

• Moderate

• Severe 

• Profound

Disorders or syndromes associated with ID, behavioral causes

• Disorders/Syndromes 

  • Fetal alcohol syndrome 

  • Chromosomal abnormalities 

    • Down syndrome 

  • Metabolic disorders 

    • Phenylketonuria (PKU), thyroid dysfunction

  • Infections 

    • syphilis, rubella

• Behavioral causes 

  • Infection and intoxication 

    • intoxication, toxoplasmosis, congenital rubella

  • Traumas or physical accidents

    • Radiation exposure, birth trauma, anoxia (lack of oxygen)

Labels and supports needed and their descriptions

• Intermittent: as needed support 

• Limited: supports characterized by constancy - time required might be limited 

• Extensive: daily - regular involvement 

• Pervasive: constant and of high frequency

• Formal supports: organization based 

• Natural supports: family based

Learning and memory characteristics

• Difference in rate and efficiency of  acquisition, remembrance, and use of knowledge

  • Abstract concepts 

  • Generalization 

  • Memory problems 

  • Difficulty focusing on relevant stimuli

Academic implications

• Elementary 

  • Motor skills 

  • Self-help skills 

  • Social skills 

  • Communication skills 

  • Academic skills