Cognitive · Intellectual Disability - Moderate

What is it?

A Mild Intellectual Disability (IM) refers to students with an IQ below around 55. 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. Students with Moderate Intellectual Disability require extensive support to access a modified curriculum.

What causes it?

Students in the IO range often have comorbid diagnoses such as autism or Down Syndrome. A wide variety of causes exist such as genetic factors and birth defects.

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. The student will have an IEP which outlines suggested interventions and classroom modifications necessary to provide the student with a meaningful and relevant education. 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 accessing an age-appropriate curriculum
• Poor comprehension
• Impaired social functioning
• Limited ability to focus on material which is too difficult
• Poor performance across a range of areas
• Difficulty working independently

Support

Students require additional assistance to enable access to specialised classes and in-class support in the mainstream. Students will require tasks to be revised to reduce literacy demands and provide more concrete examples and visuals.

Further Information

NSW Council for Intellectual Disability

Lesson Preparation & Materials

• Incorporate choice to cater for student strengths and interests.
• Provide manipulatives and real-life examples.
• Reduce literacy demands by using simple language and a clear structure.
• Display key words in the classroom.
• Provide hands-on activities where possible rather than pencil and paper tasks.
• Teach terminology as sight words.
• Use visuals to support text.
• Present information in a variety of ways for consolidation.
• Enlarge fonts and writing space.

Teaching Strategies

• Allocate peers or an SLSO to offer instant clarification and reduce frustration.
• Refer to real-life examples.
• Always gain the student’s attention prior to giving information.
• Break large tasks into small, simplified steps and check for understanding.
• Alternate preferred and non-preferred activities.
• Provide alternate, practical tasks instead of text-based tasks.
• Provide simple steps for students to follow. Be consistent with language.
• Working memory may be impaired. Support verbally presented information with written notes.
• Allow extra time to process and respond to information.
• Use technology to present information in engaging ways.

Feedback & Assessment

• Discuss strategies with other teachers so that strategies are consistent 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 opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding verbally or by demonstration.
• Maintain contact with the Learning Support Team to inform of progress and changes.

Classroom Management

• Have clear boundaries and predetermined consequences for problem behaviour.
• Make daily routines consistent and advertise on classroom noticeboards.
• Provide student volunteers and SLSOs to support participation.
• Allow the student to sit at the front of the classroom for visual demonstrations.
• Encourage student involvement in group tasks by assigning clear roles.
• Change tasks frequently to maintain attention and engagement.

Peers & SLSOs

• Assign 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 at their own pace at different points in the lesson.
• Students can be enlisted to cue students to instruction and to clarify directions.

Have I...

• Provided simple and explicit instructions?

• Rearranged lessons to include periods of high engagement?

• Included collaborative activities?

• Accessed real-life examples and age-appropriate manipulatives?

• Incorporated a variety of visual aids and technologies?