Mental Retardation

Explain this statement: To some extent, MR is a school-based diagnosis.

Many students with mild retardation are labeled as mentally retarded in the education setting. However, this often does not hold over into other areas of the person’s life. Outside of the constraints of the school setting, the students often behave in a socially appropriate manner, and have no problems succeeding in an occupational setting. Therefore, being labeled as mentally retarded by the school system does not mean the student will not be successful in other venues.

A person with an IQ of 64 nevertheless has excellent social functioning. Is this person rightly diagnosed as MR? Discuss and explain.

Many people with an IQ in the Mild Mental Retardation range are often not considered or diagnosed a person with mental retardation because they do not have adaptive behavior deficits. They may be diagnosed as retarded in the educational setting, but are fully capable of appropriate functioning outside of the school setting and in a social setting. That is why there is a dip in the 55th-70th-percentile range on the Normal Curve of IQ Distribution.

What is the importance in MR of the concept “incidental learning”?

Employers need to know to take the person with mental retardation’s difficulty with incidental learning into consideration when introducing them to their new career. Therefore, it is important for supervisors who deal with people with mental retardation to simplify instructions and training as much as possible to facilitate the ability to pay attention to the multiple aspects of complex situations. Allowing more time can be an effective method to help facilitate the adjustment of a person with mental retardation to their new position.

Will a child with significant intellectual deficit ever “catch up” to peers in intelligence? Discuss and explain.

Because the child with an intellectual deficit will always have the intellectual deficit, then they will always be behind their peers. Therefore, it can be assumed the child will always have difficulty catching up to their peers in intelligence. This happens because the child is developmentally delayed, leaving them with a mental level below that of their peers. Therefore, though they will still learn the new information presented to both the child and their peers, they will learn the information only through the mindset of their mental level, which means they will take away a different and less complex meaning of the material than that of their peers, which is due to their difficulties in engaging in higher-level thinking skills.

Explain, as if to a student, the concepts of “needed support” and “support intensities” and explain their application and process.

Supports are the strategies we will use to help you to reach your individual goals. Depending on your needs, these supports may or may not include peer supports, help with managing your money in order to make sure your bills are paid, in-home living assistance to make sure you are well taken care of, health care, and assistive devices and technologies. The amount you use these supports can vary in intensity, or amount of help used each week depending on your needs. For instance, if you need a whole lot of help, most of the time, you will receive pervasive support, which is daily help where somebody is with you all of the time. If you need a lot of help, but not all of the time, you will receive extensive support, which is regular help only in the environment the support is needed. If you need some help, just some of the time, you will receive limited support, which is help only when you need it and only in the environment you need. If you need support only when you have difficulty with a new task, when you are learning something new, then you will receive intermittent support, which is help only as the new or different situation comes up.

How to Read Websites Regarding Disability Categories (Examples)

Emotional Disturbance

http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/4d1fa.htm

How do the authors of the website create a sense of authority within the website?

The name of the website, the Doctor’s Guide to Medical and Other News, gives it a sense of authority as well as the use of credible sources.

Four points described that I was drawn to:

1. I was drawn to the title of the article.
2. I was also drawn to the fact that the report was done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
3. I was drawn to the fact they used quotes from the CEO of the National Mental Health Association, Michael Faenza.
4. I was also drawn to the fact the article made bold claims, which were backed up by statistics from the study.

Four points described that indicate I should be cautious about:

1. One of the things that made me a bit cautious was that all dot com websites are suspect because they are commercial sites.
2. Another issue that was suspect was that the study only included 8 community-based studies, but the size of and type of community is not disclosed in the article.
3. I was also suspicious about the fact that the sample size was not given; therefore, the results may be skewed.
4. Another issue that was suspect to me was that there is a solution to the problem given, but the problem is not thoroughly discussed.

Speech Impairment

http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-11/2008-11-06-voa47.cfm?CFID=77452741&CFTOKEN=28545778

How do the authors of the website create a sense of authority within the website?

The authors of the website are employs of the Voice of America news group. The authors of the article use trigger words to gain a sense of authority. They do not successfully support their claim because the information included in the article contradicts itself.

Four points described that I was drawn to:

1. The first statement in the article grabbed my attention because the authors started the article with “Researchers have identified.”
2. Later, they keep my attention by restating the claim as “Scientists have identified.”
3. The study identified in the article came from the Wellcome Trust Center for Human Genetics at Oxford University.
4. The findings of the study were published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Four points described that indicate I should be cautious about:

1. The study was only done on 184 families; therefore, the sample size was relatively small.
2. A researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey is concerned about the findings of the study.
3. The same researcher believes that more research is needed.
4. The study was not initially done to specifically prove that CNTNAP2 is linked to speech impairments.

Mild Mental Retardation

http://www.faqs.org/health/Sick-V3/Mental-Retardation.html

How do the authors of the website create a sense of authority within the website?

From the URL given, the website gives a sense of authority. The authors also lay the site out to where it looks like a professional website.

Four points described that I was drawn to:

1. The top of the page grabbed my attention because it says the site is a Free Health Encyclopedia.
2. The site mentions the rating scales often used to determine intellectual disabilities.
3. The site uses a picture of and description of brothers that have mental retardation.
4. The site has links to the American Association on Mental Retardation, and The Arc of the United States.

Four points described that indicate I should be cautious about:

1. Although the site uses AAMR as a source, the definition is not the official definition of mental retardation.
2. The descriptions of the levels of mental retardation do not mention the standard deviation.
3. The authors give a lot of information as fact, but they do not cite the facts or statistics.
4. Some of the information on the site can be misleading, such as an entire section devoted to putting the blame on the mother of the child.

Other Health Impairments

http://www.spiritlakeconsulting.com/COPT/intro/otherhealth.html

How do the authors of the website create a sense of authority within the website?

The name of the website, Spirit Lake Consulting, Inc. gives the website a sense of authority.

Four points described that I was drawn to:

1. The way the information was written made the site easy to understand.
2. The site gives several statistics.
3. The site has good links.
4. The site helps to bring minimal awareness about the needs of children with OHI in the educational setting.

Four points described that indicate I should be cautious about:

1. Although the site gives good statistics, it doe not mention where the statistics come from.
2. There is no scientific based evidence mentioned to support the information given, and without scientific based evidence, the information may be biased or skewed.
3. Although there are links to IDEA and Section 504, it is not mentioned in the article. Therefore, parents who see this website may not understand the process to which they can gain services for their child.
4. There are very few specific details on disabilities, and what disabilities that are discussed are not thoroughly explained and discussed.

Learning Disabilities

http://school.familyeducation.com/learning-disabilities/special-education/34455.html

How do the authors of the website create a sense of authority within the website?

The website looks very professional and the fact that the site is titled family education gives it a sense of authority.

Four points described that I was drawn to:

1. There are good links on the site.
2. There are good stats and citations in the links.
3. The quizzes are easy to use.
4. The site is part of Pearson Education, Inc.

Four points described that indicate I should be cautious about:

1. Self-diagnosis and online diagnosis is dangerous.
2. The site is a dot com site which is a commercial site, which takes away from the credibility of the authors.
3. The quizzes rely on at home behavior.
4. The quizzes also rely on parent’s input, which may be biased or skewed.

Educating Peter

This video was made not to take sides with the controversy between integration of children with disabilities into regular education, but to give us some insight into the world of one little boy. It was made to help the general public understand what integration of children with disabilities means to everyone affected by such integration.

Major Points

Everyone, including the teacher, is afraid of Peter. As the film begins, we see how everyone’s attitudes toward Peter are more or less negative. Though the teacher clearly states that her role as a teacher is to educate every student in her classroom, she states that she is worried that something will go wrong. She stated that she must be vigilantly on guard in regard to Peter and the other students. She also states that she is frightened that something will happen when she is not there. The other children state that they are frightened of Peter. It seems to me that no one stopped to think how Peter must feel to be in an environment that he does not quite understand.

Peter’s behavior is a major issue throughout the film. As with many students with disabilities, Peter tends to act up more that the other kids. His behavior is inconsistent and unpredictable. In the beginning Peter is very aggressive. Peter kicks, hits, chokes, pushes, tackles, and bangs other students’ heads together. The teacher decided it was time to give the children a more active role in the classroom. She had the other students get involved in the “peer planning” process of the classroom. They asked the children if they knew why Peter acted up in the classroom. She asked for suggestions from the classroom on how to redirect Peter’s behavior. She taught them what they can and cannot do to help Peter. One of the things pointed out was that the children should not give Peter attention for negative behavior, but should give him attention for positive behavior. The teacher took a more active approach toward Peter’s behavior as well. First she gives him tangible consequences for his behavior. She gives him the choice to either talk to her now about his behavior, or to speak with her during recess about his behavior. Then, she asks him what he did wrong and relates the problem to him directly. She asks Peter if he would he like being treated the way he treats the other students? She then has him apologize for his behavior.

The other students’ attitudes toward Peter are a major point. They admitted that they stared because he does not look like any of them. They do not know what to think of Peter because he makes loud noises. One little boy wonders why Peter is even there. He says that Peter will probably not learn anything. In the beginning, before the peer planning, the other children would shove back. However, they learned how to deal with Peter without using force. This caused his outbursts to be less and less frequent. Later in the video the students in the classroom state that they enjoy having Peter around. One little boy thought that he would not like Peter in the beginning, but ended up considering Peter one of his best friends. The overall attitude toward Peter in the end was best summed up by a little freckle-faced girl, “He changed because we changed. He changed because we changed our minds about him. He changed because we helped him.”

Peter’s self image is an issue in the film. Peter’s mother said that Peter comes home from school and is very happy. He is also tired, but he is still happy that he is given the opportunity to go to school. He has less and less outbursts throughout the year, which leads me to believe that he is no longer frustrated about the classroom. He feels comfortable and is made to feel comfortable in the classroom. He realizes that it is just not Peter, but he is part of something bigger. This does not mean that Peter does not continue to get frustrated. When working on his own, Peter feels bad about himself because he does realize that he is not able to do the same things that the other children are doing. He complains, “I’m stupid.” The teacher responds, “No you’re not.” Again, Peter says, “I’m stupid.” Then the teacher states, “You are not, you are a smart little boy.”

In the end, everyone felt they benefited from having Peter integrated into the classroom. One girl in the classroom says that they may have taught him how to do things, but he taught them how to think more and react to other problems. The teacher stated that she would gladly teach Peter again, if given the opportunity. She changed her expectations from, “I don’t think you can do this” to “I expect you to do this because I know you can.” Peter benefited as well. He learned academics, social skills, and how to control his behavior. Peter made many great friends and the rest of the classroom gained one amazing friend.

Personal Reaction

This is my favorite video by far. Watching this movie was a rollercoaster ride. To start with I, of all people, thought maybe there should be a limit for what types of children are integrated into regular education classrooms. I was taken back. I did not think I would ever feel that way about this topic. Me of all people, I have an uncle who is mentally retarded, and realize how unfair it was that he was always separated from the rest of the students. Me of all people, I have a son who I have fought all of his school years to keep him with his peers. I wonder if this was just my mothering response kicking in. I have been in a similar situation with Damien. At one point in his life he was extremely aggressive toward his little brother. When I caught him choking his little brother, and his little brother’s face turning blue, I wondered if Damien and Dylan would be better off if my husband and I separated residences taking only one to each home. I could not bear to do this and had to find another way to deal with the problem. From time to time, not very often, Damien is still aggressive toward Dylan, but Dylan knows how to handle the problem now. Peter, like Damien, just seemed so out of control and a danger to himself, and the other students. I understand that children like Peter, my uncle, and my son get frustrated so easily, but it seemed so unfair to the other students who were getting injured in the process. However, after the teacher implemented the peer planning process to the classroom, the out-of-control behavior began to subside. This made me cry because I thought I would be the last person to discriminate against anyone with a disability. I realize now that I am not perfect, and was too quick to judge Peter. I know that Peter was introduced to an entirely new environment that he had not been prepared for, and this must have been overwhelming and difficult for him. He did learn to adjust, which seemed to surprise everyone involved.

Application

I will not be quick to judge a student with disabilities. I will make sure that the other children in the classroom understand why the student acts the way they do, and give them ideas on how to solve the problem without the use of force. I will also be more accepting to all students and make sure that I am patient with them.