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INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

By

JAN BRIANE ASTOM G2013-0553 St. Paul University Manila Graduate School Master of Arts, Major in Music Therapy

July 15, 2013

Course Title: Introduction To Special Needs Education Professor Elizabeth P. Flordeliza, BM, MA-SpEd

I.

Definition Intellectual disability (also known as cognitive disabilities and mental retardation) is a term which has been used to refer to people with certain limitations in mental functioning and performance of activities of daily living. People with intellectual disabilities can and do learn new skills, but the processes of learning and development take much slower for them as compared to a typical child. There are varying degrees of intellectual disability, ranging from mild to profound. As stated above, intellectual disability touches on two areas of a persons development: intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour. Intellectual functioning refers to the persons intellectual quotient or IQthe ability to learn, reason, make decisions, and solve problems. The average IQ is 100, and a person is said to be intellectually disabled if the tested IQ is less than 70-75. Level Mild Lower IQ range 50-55 Higher IQ range 70-75 Level of needed support Support is intermittent and usually given on an as-needed basis. Students dont necessarily require daily support. Limited supports are provided over prescribed period of time. Intermittent and extensive supports are provided for students. Extensive supports are provided. Students are usually provided daily assistance in different settings. Pervasive assistance involving constant assistance across all environments. Supports provided are often of high intensity and may include life-sustaining measures.

Moderate

35-40

50-55

Severe

20-25

35-40

Profound

< 20-25

Adaptive behaviour, on the other hand, refers to the skills needed for day-to-day life, such as the ability to communicate with others, interact with others, and take care of oneself. A person with intellectual disability usually has difficulty performing even the simplest of tasks such as feeding and dressing himself, or understanding straightforward instructions.

II.

Etiology Intellectual disability is multifactorial in causation, and doctors have pinpointed the following etiological bases for the condition: Genetic conditions. In some instances, intellectual disability can be caused by abnormal genes which are inherited from parents, errors when genes combine, or other reasons. Examples of these genetic conditions are Down syndrome (where mild to moderate intellectual disability is usually present), fragile X syndrome (where there is a problem with the FMR1 gene which is necessary for normal neural development), and phenylketonuria (PKU) (where the enzyme needed to break down phenylalaninea protein which could damage the CNS when it accumulatesis rendered non-functional). Problems during pregnancy. Intellectual disability can also result when the baby does not develop properly inside the womb of the mother. For example, there may be a problem with the way that the babys cells divide as it grows. Mothers who drink alcohol (Fetal alcohol syndrome or FAS) or contract rubella (aka German measles, can cause severe mental retardation when contracted during the first trimester of pregnancy) while they are pregnant may give birth to infants with intellectual disabilities. Problems during birth. Sometimes, the cause is on the childbirth process itself. Problems during labor and birth, such as not getting enough oxygen and being born extremely premature, may lead to intellectual disability. Health problems. Some diseases, when contracted during early childhood, can result to intellectual disability later on. These include pertussis (whooping cough), measles, or meningitis (these conditions lead to bacterial invasion of the CNS and seizures, thereby causing intellectual disabilities). Extreme malnutrition, severe head injury, exposure to poisons such as lead or mercury, and inadequate medical care can also result in intellectual disabilities.

III.

Characteristic Signs and Symptoms In children, intellectual disability can manifest in a gamut of ways. Onset of the signs and symptoms differ from child to child; in some cases, they appear as early as infancy, while in some, the signs and symptoms only become noticeable by the time a child reaches school age. The severity of the signs and symptoms also differs depending on the degree of the intellectual disability. Here are some of the most common manifestations among children: Delayed rolling over, sitting up, crawling, or walking

IV.

Delayed and/or troubled speech Difficulty in mastering basic life skills such as potty training, dressing, and feeding. Difficulty in remembering things. Incapacity to associate actions with consequences. Behavior problems (e.g., suddenly bursting into explosive tantrums) Difficulty in thinking logically or in solving problems.

Treatment There is no cure available for intellectual disability. In lieu of treatment, however, there are services and supports which can help patients thrive from day-to-day throughout their lifetime. These services include: Case management (a type of service where a case manager helps a person apply for Medicaid in order for them to be able to avail of a variety of supports, including daily living needs, health care and long-term care services, and supports.) Family support (e.g., respite care) Vocational programs Day programs Residential options Early intervention Special education Transition services

Supports, meanwhile, include the resources and individual strategies which are necessary for the promotion of development, education, interests, and well-being of a person. They come in varied forms and sources, such as family support and job coaching, among others. V. Assistive technologies Through the years, assistive technology have been developed to help the intellectually disabled compensate for their intellectual and functional limitations. These technologies are leveraged to help people with intellectual disabilities on the following areas:

Communication. Assistive technologies to help out those with communication problems due to physical and/or cognitive reasons range from low (e.g., paper, pencils, flash cards) to high (e.g., computers, tablets) technological grades. Environmental controls. Those with severe or multiple physical and/or cognitive disabilities may need the help of devices to assist them in controlling their environment. Such technologies are those that allow for a person to control electrical appliances, or to do something as basic as locking or unlocking doors. Mobility. Mobility aids, such as wheel chairs, walkers, and canes, range from simple manual models to sophisticated computer-controlled devices. Education. Traditionally, teachers would use manipulatives or concrete objects in order to help students with intellectual disabilities to grasp abstract ideas. With modernization, however, the computer has become an indispensable tool, leveraged by teachers to help improve literacy, language, mathematical, organizational, and social skills development. There are a number of existing software packages currently available in the market which are specifically designed to support students with intellectual disabilities in the classroom. One promising approach in literacy software utilizes universal design for learning principles. This approach combines reading for meaning with direct instruction for decoding and understanding. The resulting software consists of an audio and video based curriculum that can be adjusted by the teacher to meet the specific academic capacities of the student. Activities of daily living. There are many ways by which the intellectually challenged can take advantage of assistive technologies when it comes to this aspect. For example, there are some devices which are specifically designed to assist a person with memory difficulties to complete a task or to follow a certain sequence of steps from start to finish. There are also devices to help a person shop, write a check, pay the bills, and a whole lot of other things. Recreation. A lot of games and recreational activities require from its participants quick decision-makingsomething which the intellectually challenged are hard up on. In response to this constraint, adaptations have been made to computer games allowing for slower gameplay.

VI.

Epidemiology Prevalence ratings for intellectual disabilities are inconsistent, more likely because of its nature which is often hidden within other disability classifications. In the US, experts estimate that intellectual disability affects about 1% of the population, with 85% of those having mild intellectual disability.

For the Philippines, the latest available data for disabilities is that from 2002 initiative of Japan International Cooperation Agency Planning and Evaluation Department. Of the approximately 1 million subjects, 6% percent were noted to have intellectual disabilities. Sources: Assistive Technology for People with Intellectual Disabilities. South Carolina Assistive Technology Program, October 9, 2012, web. 10 July 2013. Country Profile on Disability: Republic of the Philippines. World Bank. Japan International Cooperation Agency Planning and Evaluation Department, March 2002, web. 10, July 2013. Intellectual disability. National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2011. web. 10 July 2013. Intellectual Disabilities. ProjectIDEAL. Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, 2008, web. 10 July 2013. Intellectual disability. WebMD. WebMD, LLC, n.d., web. 10 July 2013. Treatment of an Intellectual Disability. TheArc. The Arc, n.d., web. 10 July 2013.

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