Cognitive · Intellectual Disability - Mild

What is it?

A Mild Intellectual Disability (IM) refers to students with an IQ in the range of 55-70. Learning Disabilities are reflected in problems with acquisition and retention of information. These students may have impairments in oral language, reading, writing and mathematics with functioning which is significantly lower than age peers. In addition to academic areas, the student may have difficulties with organisation, self-care and social skills.

What causes it?

Students in the IM range may have been affected by a wide number of factors including genetic influence and language exposure. There is a notable genetic link as siblings may function in a similar range.

Incidence

Students in this range reflect less than 1% of the general school population.

Medical Considerations

Cognitive and adaptive functioning assessments reveal performance compared to age peers. Referrals to the Learning Support Team and contact with parents may be necessary. Considerations include:

• the ability of a person’s brain to learn, think, solve problems, and make sense of the world (called IQ or intellectual functioning); and
• whether the person has the skills he or she needs to live independently (called adaptive behavior, or adaptive functioning).

Characteristics

Teachers may notice:

• Difficulty recalling information
• Poor comprehension
• Impaired social functioning
• Inattentive
• Poor performance across a range of areas
• Difficulty planning tasks

Support

Students may qualify for funding to enable access to specialised classes and in-class support in the mainstream. Students may require tasks to be broken down into smaller, manageable sections or adapted to reduce literacy demands.

Further Information

NSW Council for Intellectual Disability

Lesson Preparation & Materials

• Incorporate choice to cater for student strengths and interests.
• Provide unit outlines and graphic organisers to assist in linking concepts.
• Provide written directions in clear and explicit language.
• Develop a glossary to which students can add.
• Provide hands-on activities where possible rather than pencil and paper tasks.
• Simplify worksheets by reducing literacy demands.
• Use visuals to support text.
• Highlight key points on handouts.

Teaching Strategies

• Promote effort over accuracy where possible.
• Begin each lesson with a review of previous material.
• Always gain the student’s attention prior to giving important information.
• Break large tasks into small steps and check for understanding.
• Alternate preferred and non-preferred activities.
• Teach strategies for self-monitoring such as making daily lists.
• Scaffold writing and note-taking activities.
• Working memory may be impaired. Support verbally presented information with written notes.
• Allow extra time to process and respond to information.

Feedback & Assessment

• Discuss strategies with other teachers so that consistency can be achieved across KLAs.
• Choose only one or two behaviour goals to work on at a time.
• Refer to the student’s Behaviour Plan or IEP.
• Provide extra time for tasks or reduce the amount of writing required.
• Check understanding frequently to allow the student to demonstrate understanding.

Classroom Management

• Have clear boundaries and predetermined consequences for problem behaviour.
• Make daily routines consistent and advertise on classroom noticeboards.
• Clearly define group roles and consider student strengths.
• Allow the student to sit at the front of the classroom for visual demonstrations.
• Use teamwork with a range of responsibilities to suit the student’s strengths.
• Students may benefit from pre-teaching a topic prior to exposure to new material.

Peers & SLSOs

• Assign student tutors or learning partners.
• Seat near others who will stay on-task and model appropriate behaviour.
• Students may prefer to work one on one with an SLSO to aid focus and reduce competition with peers.
• Students can be enlisted to cue students to instruction and to clarify directions.

Have I...

• Broken tasks down into smaller, manageable steps?

• Displayed rules and expectations on classroom noticeboards?

• Established a reward system and method for students to self-monitor progress?

• Included opportunities for age-appropriate manipulatives?

• Rearranged lessons to include periods of high engagement?