Intellectual Disabilities

Intellectual Disabilities are one of the 13 disabilities that fall under IDEA. There can be a stigma
around Intellectual Disabilities in a couple of ways. If given this diagnosis, some children can see
themselves as incompetent and lower the standard for themselves. Other people can also tend to judge
people with intellectual disabilities very harshly and possibly not give them the opportunities that those
people deserve. In years previous, the medical community associated people with intellectual disabilities
with mental retardation. This is a very offensive term that was scratched out of medical lingo after the
passing of Rosa’s Law.

There is a range of behaviors and functions of people with intellectual disabilities. Here are some
possible areas of need:

-assisted living (cooking, cleaning, forms, etc…)

-longer time processing information

-general intellectual functioning

-social interactions

Strengths of people with intellectual disabilities can include:

-increased adaptability

-increased ability for self-dependence

Transition periods in the classroom can be difficult for students without IEPs and can be an even
greater difficulty for students with intellectual disabilities. Great practices to assist with transitions
include multiple reminders of time checks, written and verbal direction, clear instructions, and chunked
info.

The prevalence rate is about 1% of the global population. Syndromes associated with intellectual
disabilities include Down Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome.

Adaptations can include chunking information given in assignments and breaking down the
information and also extra time on assignments so the student has time to mentally process the
information.