Understanding Intellectual Disabilities A Guide for faculty and staff

1. UNDERSTANDING INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
A GUIDE FOR FACULTY AND STAFF

2. Intellectual Disability
Definition: According to the American Association of Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities, an individual has intellectual disability (ID) if
he or she meets three criteria:
◦ IQ of approximately 70 or lower
◦ There are significant limitations in two or more adaptive areas (i.e. skills
that are needed to live, work, and participate in the community, such as
communication or self-care)
◦ The condition manifests itself before the age of 18

3. Prevalence of ID
◦ Approximately 6.5 million people in the United States have an
intellectual disability.
◦ About 1 to 3% of the global population has an intellectual disability -- as
many as 200 million people!

4. Adaptive Behavior
◦ Significant limitations in adaptive behavior impact a person’s daily life
and affect the ability to respond to a particular situation or to the
environment.
◦ Conceptual skills: receptive and expressive language, reading and writing, money
concepts, self-direction.
◦ Social skills: interpersonal, responsibility, self-esteem, follow rules, obey laws, not
gullible, avoid victimization.
◦ Practical skills: personal activities of daily living such as eating, dressing, mobility
and toileting, preparing meals taking medication, using the telephone, managing
money, using transportation, doing housekeeping activities and maintaining a safe
environment.

5. Potential Challenges for
Students with ID
◦ When working with a student with ID, you may notice the following:
◦ Difficulty with problem solving
◦ Failure to pick up on sarcasm
◦ Memory deficits
◦ Delayed maturity
◦ Lack of social inhibitors
◦ Delayed self-care skills
◦ Slow information processing time

6. ADA Accommodations
Students with ID may utilize accommodations under the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
◦ Note taker
◦ Scribe
◦ Reader
◦ Extended Time (Assessment)
◦ Tape/video recorder (with instructor permission)
◦ Access to the ADA tutoring lab for assistance with specific assignments
…and any other necessary accommodations

7. Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
What?
◦ UDL is a Framework.
◦ A set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL
provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for
everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized
and adjusted for individual needs
Why is this important for higher education?
◦ The decision to begin using a new framework to design courses and learning environments can be
daunting. Having ideas for how to get started can help instructors avoid feeling overwhelmed. Knowing
that changing or shifting just one or two practices or materials can help build momentum
◦ UDL In Higher Education

8. UDL is based on
the three-
network model
of learning

9. A PROCESS FOR
GETTING
STARTED
Loui Lord Nelson suggests a process that starts and ends with reflecting
on the needs and desired outcomes of your students:
Reflect on the needs of your students.
◦ "What are my students struggling with?”
Identify a principle or checkpoint that addresses that need.
◦ “How might I use this checkpoint to meet the needs of my learners?”
Investigate and create new methods or strategies.
◦ “What brings this principle or checkpoint to life?”
Teach a lesson using the new method or strategy.
◦ “What does this principle or checkpoint look like in my teaching environment?”
Assess the new method or strategy.
◦ “In what ways did my students demonstrate knowledge or skills?”
Reflect on how the new method or strategy worked.
◦ “How did the principle or checkpoint enhance my students’ outcomes?”
UDL Getting Started Video

10. Other Georgia Universities
◦ GAIPSEC
◦ http://www.gaipsec.org
◦ Georgia Tech
◦ Excel - https://www.scheller.gatech.edu/centers-initiatives/ile/excel/index.html
◦ Kennesaw State University
◦ Academy - http://wellstarcollege.kennesaw.edu/academy/index.php
◦ University of Georgia
◦ Columbus State University
◦ Georgia Southern University
◦ East Georgia State College
◦ Albany Technical College

11. IDEAL Professor
◦ Although students with ID may present unique challenges, there are many
things you can do to ensure their success.
◦ Allow for extended wait time when asking for responses
◦ Be direct, but avoid sarcasm or idioms
◦ Provide lots of repetition to learn new tasks
◦ Be patient & use displays of unexpected behavior as “teachable” moments
◦ Model appropriate social behaviors
◦ Make expectations explicitly clear (never imply)

12. All it takes to be an IDEAL professor
◦ Participation and involvement in IDEAL students experience during the
semester
◦ Feedback provided for the student
◦ Being available (office hours, email, etc.) as you would any other
student taking the course
◦ Communication and contact with IDEAL staff
◦ Communication with the IDEAL student and staff whether it be good or
bad – what works and what isn’t working – we are a TEAM!
◦ Flexibility, learning and fun!

13. You, the IDEAL professor
◦ Grading
◦ IDEAL students will audit courses – no letter grades
◦ Indicates that the individual merely has received teaching
◦ Subset assignments
◦ Group work
◦ Evaluation options/scales:
◦ If there is an outline or grading rubric, just make sure the student has included all
that is being asked
◦ Scales:
◦ Option 1: Outstanding, Superior, Good, Satisfactory, Low Pass
◦ Option 2: Excellent, Satisfactory, Mediocre, Needs Improvement, Unsatisfactory

14. Potential Modifications
◦Instructional or classroom modifications
◦ Taped lectures
◦ Enlarged copies of notes, required readings, handouts, and exam questions
◦ Preferential seating in the classroom

15. Potential Modifications cont’
◦Test taking modifications:
◦ Readers, recorders
◦ Use of a computer with a spell checker
◦ Extended time on exams
◦ Quiet, distraction-free environment for taking exams
◦ Use of aids such as calculators during the exam
◦ Taped or oral versions of the exams
◦ Alternative testing methods (i.e., demonstrating mastery of course objectives using
a research paper, oral presentation, etc.)
◦ More frequent tests, quizzes, or exams to obtain additional feedback

16. Example of real class modifications