Welcome to Week 7's posting on students with autism spectrum disorders/pervasive developmental disorders. An audio of the chapter has been provided. For the chapter audio, ignore references in the audio to week numbers, dates, chapter numbers, page numbers, assignments, the discussion board,names...thank you. The core of the audio speaks to the current chapter topic in your edition of the text book. https://edocs.uis.edu/jherr3/www/TEP224F2010/TEP224Ch7.mp3 .
Definition of "developmental disability" - the definition of developmental disabilities is as follows:
"...physical or mental disabilities that impair the person's functioning in language, learning, mobility, self-care, or other important areas of living, ranging from mild to severe."
Mental Retardation Mental retardation falls under the category of a developmental disability, with Down syndrome being the most recognized of this group mostly characterized by their slow rate of learning.
The following excerpt is from Professor Jerome Lejeune, Nobel Prize Winner, Discoverer of the gene for Down syndrome
"Many years ago, my father was a Jewish physician in Braunau, Austria. On a particular day, two babies had been delivered by one of his colleagues. One was a fine, healthy boy with a strong cry. His parents were extremely proud and happy. The other was a little girl, but her parents were extremely sad, for she was a mongoloid [Down syndrome] baby. I followed them both for almost fifty years. The girl grew up, living at home, and was finally destined to be the one who nursed her mother through a very long and lingering illness after a stroke. I do not remember her name. I do, however, remember the boy's name. He died in a bunker in Berlin. His name was Adolf Hitler."
Click here for a personal Saga of a child with Downs syndrome: A couples' story: http://www.downsyn.com/personal.html .
It used to be that the definition of mental retardation was restricted to below average IQ scores, however, according to the text, students who are diagnosed as mentally retarded have limited function in four areas:
intellectual - below average IQ in the range of 70-75 or below.
adaptive behavior - inability or delay in being able to function independently in society.
devleopmental period - limitations in intellectual and adaptive behavior relative to age appropriated behaviors before the age of 18 years.
systems of support - unless mentally retarded students are provided mega-support from teachers, parents, specialists, they are not as capable of operating as a sustainable functioning person in society. (Vaughn, et al, p. 163, 2007)
Mental retardation now is classified as mild (IQ 50-55 to 70-75); moderate (IQ 35-40 to 50-55); severe (IQ 20-25 to 35-40); and profound (IQ below 20-25) (Vaughn, et al, p. 163, 2007)
Read Matthew's story: http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs8txt.htm )
originate as a result of poverty stricken environments, neglect and abuse! 1 in 30 newborns will experience head injuries as a result of neglect! Students born in poverty stricken environments have an increased chance of being lead poisoned, underfed, polluted by harmful environs, abused, underinsured therefore not receiving appropriate medical attention. The majority of these cases are students who are mildly retarded, but require intervention strategies in order to be successful in the regular education classroom.
Characteristics of students with developmental disabilities: Students with developmental disabilities generally learn slower and learn less than other students. A report cited that "the characteristics of developmental disabilities are 'physical or mental impairments that begin before age 22, and alter or substantially inhibit a person's capacity to do at least three of the following: take care of themselves (dress, bathe, eat, and other daily tasks), speak and be understood clearly, learn, walk/move around, make decisions, live on their own, and/or earn and manage an income.'" See http://www.bostoncares.org/news/issuebriefs/disabilities.pdf to read more.)
What Are the Signs of Mental Retardation?
See: http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs8txt.htm ).
What are some strategies for dealing with developmentally disabled students?: Below are tips for both parents and educators as offered by the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY stands for the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities ????) website at http://www.nichcy.org/index.html .
Pragmatically Speaking - How to use this information in the classroom:
Learn about mental retardation. The more you know, the more you can help yourself and students.
Share skills students are learning at school with parents, so that they can extend those learning opportunities at home. For example, if such students are learning how to count money, have parents allow them to help count out the money at the grocery store.
Keep in touch with the parent(s).
Find out what student's strengths are and capitalize on those. Create success opportunities.
If you are not part of the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, ask for a copy of his or her IEP. The student's educational goals will be listed there, as well as the services and classroom accommodations he or she is to receive.
Talk to specialists in your school (e.g., special educators), as necessary. They can help you identify effective methods of teaching this student, ways to adapt the curriculum, and how to address the student's IEP goals in your classroom.
Be as concrete as possible. Demonstrate what you mean rather than just giving verbal directions. Rather than just relating new information verbally, show a picture. And rather than just showing a picture, provide the student with hands-on materials and experiences and the opportunity to try things out.
Break longer, new tasks into small steps. Demonstrate the steps. Have the student do the steps, one at a time. Provide assistance, as necessary.
Give the student immediate feedback.
Involve the student in group activities or clubs.
