Intellectual Disabilities

Intellectual Disabilities are often characterized by two dimensions: limited intellectual ability and difficulty in coping with the social demands of the environment. Students with intellectual disabilities, when compared to their same-age peers will often demonstrate less mature adaptive skills, showing difficulties with social behaviour and/or functional academic skills.  The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) have typically defined, diagnosed, and reflected the limitations of intellectual disabilities in three dimensions: intellectual functioning, adaptive behaviour or skills and the developmental period (Smith, et al).   

Criteria: 

1. Significantly sub-average IQ - 70 & lower.
2. Significant deficits in adaptive behaviour.
3. Occurs before the age of eighteen.

Characteristics: 

• Memory - Short term is bad but long term is average.  So keep trying! You need to repeatedly teach new concepts but eventually they will get, but since it is a long process to teach these kids new things, make sure what you are teaching is worth it.
• Language - Their expressive language is really poor, but their receptive language is average.
• Motor Skills - Gross motor skills are average, whereas fine motor skills are really impaired.  These children struggle with finger dexterity.
• Other health problems - Vision, hearing and obesity. (Heikkila)

*Children with Autism used to be placed in this category but that was the wrong diagnosis; it was a designation that negatively affected children with autism.