Mental Retardation

Special Education Exceptionalities


1) Mental Retardation


a. Definition of Mental Retardation-is a developmental disability that is marked by lower-than-normal intelligence and limited daily living skills. Mental retardation is normally present at birth or develops in life. Mild mental retardation is classified by IQ scores from 50 to 75, includes about 85 percent of mentally retarded population, and individuals often live on their own with community support. Moderate mental retardation is classified by IQ scores from 35 to 50, includes about 10 percent of the mentally retarded population, and individuals often lead a normal lives with some level of supervision. Severe Mental Retardation is classified by IQ scores between 20 and 35, this includes about 3 to 4 percent of the mentally retarded population, and individuals often master basic skills like dressing themselves and cleaning but live in a group home. Profound Mental retardation is classified by IQ scores of less than 20, this includes about 1 to 2 percent of the mentally retarded population, and these individuals at this stage develop basic communication and self-care skills.


b. Implications of teaching in each area of disability and modifications of teaching approaches-

How can I work with a mentally retarded student in my regular education kindergarten class? I will serve the mentally retarded student by, simplifying the curriculum to one or two objectives rather than several that may be taught. Assignments will be modified to shorter length, fewer choices. Revisiting the lessons they are learning often and presenting it in small sequential steps. More several retarded student will be taught more basic skills and lessons that they will need in everyday life. In my kindergarten class regular ed. I will also make picture cards for the students who need them. This is an excellent way of helping them get a visual and better understanding of certain things. For example I worked with a student who didn’t always understand what foods where for lunch. I cut out different pictures from magazines and pasted them on note cards. These cards help him associate the choice and the picture when choosing what he wanted for lunch. I also made ones for centers, bathroom break, and good behavior vs. bad behavior, examples of reading time, nap time, and recess. These cards really benefited the student I was working with. I could also as a kindergarten teacher in elementary regular education use the Introtalker. This device can be used to record messages and the student can use these messages to communicate with students and teacher. I am sure throughout my years as an elementary teacher in regular education classroom I will have many different students and situations that I’ll have to come up with activities for. This is all in the process of become more qualified in the field we teach like elementary education regular Ed.

c. Specific technology-

Widgit Rebus- a keyboard with words to touch that says words for those who are nonverbal. The Rebus contains over 7000 clear concise symbols for all ages.
Introtalker- teacher’s record messages and it sensual becomes the student’s voice. An introtalker is a portable communication and training device with human-quality voice output.
IntelliKeys- means physical, visual, and cognitive access for people with a wide range of disabilities. IntelliKeys is an intelligent, alternative keyboard that plugs into any Macintosh or windows computer. It’s an ideal solution for students who have difficultly using a standard keyboard. Cost around 395 dollars
Alpasmart- used for typing papers and doing homework
Tape recorder- this could be used for listens to books on tape or prerecorded lessons.
Intellitalk 2- is a full featured word processor that allows you to combine graphics, text, and speech to enhance writing and communication skills. Special features that promote understanding reinforce concepts, and provide a multisensory writing environment for all learners.
GO Talk- is easy to use, portable, durable-and surprisingly affordable. Used for augmentative communication and curriculum enrichment.
BIGmack- is a simple, one-message communication device, which allows a single message of up to 20 seconds to be recorded and played back.




d. References and information taken from
Alpasmart
http://jet.unlv.edu/19.4/ParetteTable2.pdf
Assistive Technology
http://www.nsnet.org/start/communication.pdf
-Meeting the needs of students of students with communication difficulties.
BIGmack
http://www.ablenet.com/
Exceptional Children by William L. Heward
Page 132 Table 4.1 Classification of mental retardation by IQ score
Free Health encyclopedia
http://www.faqs.org/health/Sick-V3/Mental-Retardation.html Mental retardation is a developmental disability that is marked by lower-than-normal intelligence and limited daily living skills. Mental retardation is normally present at birth or develops early in life.

Go Talk
http://www.attainmentcompany.com/
IntelliKeys
http://www.synapse-ada.com/
Intellitalk 2
http://intellitools.com/
Introtalker
http://abledata.com/
Widgit Rebus
http://www.widgit.com/