Los Angeles Unified School District Division of Special Education Schools for All Children Developmental and Learning Characteristics of Students with Mental Retardation Donnalyn Jaque-Antón Associate Superintendent

Definition  A disability that originates before the age of 18 and is characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills AAMR 2002

 Significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance CFR 300.7(c)(6)

Causes of Mental Retardation  Chromosomal abnormalities including genetic, metabolic and neurological disorders  Congenital infections  Prenatal drug exposure  Perinatal/postnatal factors

Levels of Mental Retardation  Mild  Moderate  Severe  Profound

Significant/ Pervasive Support Supports are Constant, High Intensity Limited Support Supports are Needed Consistently Intermittent Support Supports are on as Needed Basis Adapted from: Institute On Violence and Destructive Behaviors, University of Oregon (1999)

Levels of Support for Students with Mild Mental Retardation  Intermittent Supports As needed basis High or low intensity Most likely to be required at life transitions

 Limited Supports Needed consistently over time – but not on a daily basis Non-intensive Transitional sensitive Levels of Support for Students with Moderate Mental Retardation

Significant Supports Regular and frequent involvement Situational sensitive Levels of Support for Students with Severe Mental Retardation

 Pervasive Supports Consistent High intensity Across environments Levels of Support for Students with Profound Mental Retardation

Educational Implications Attention, memory, and decision making  Good attention to task at hand  Decision-making capability varies  Difficulty generalizing

Educational Implications (continued) Cognitive characteristics related to skill acquisition:  Difficulty in organizing thought  Persistence in using incorrect methods  Difficulty in self-evaluation  Less preparation and slower movement times

Addressing Educational Challenges  Student learns through direct interactions with things activities & people  Teacher provides activity-based “hands-on” learning experiences

Addressing Educational Challenges (continued )  Student learns through associations  Teacher uses meaningful context such as daily routines & organization of materials

Addressing Educational Challenges (continued )  Student’s understanding is likely based upon their own perceptions, experiences, or scripted answers that are not completely understood  Teacher explicitly links cause–effect, especially through social skills instruction

Addressing Educational Challenges (continued )  Student learns through repetition  Teacher provides multiple opportunities to learn and practice skills systematically

What is Systematic Instruction?  Identification of the learning target  Breaking down the learning target into incremental steps  Knowing where each student enters the learning sequence  Practicing across environments

Systematic Instruction Includes  Task Analysis  Teaching Strategies  Reinforcement, shaping, fading and prompting hierarchies  Data collection

Task Analysis Break down a task into a behavior chain consisting of separate, teachable, smaller steps/links Steps/links should be individualized to meet student’s needs Behavior chains range in amount of steps/links

Teaching Strategies Direct Instruction is often used to teach rote association, vocabulary skills, “early academic skills,” and sometimes “behavior scripts”

Teaching Strategies Tasks are broken into small skills Tasks are taught using a structured format (Stimulus>Response>Consequence) Provides multiple opportunities to practice

Teaching Strategies Effective for varied skills and group size Keep the individual or groups attention by serial responding, active participation, pacing and varying materials Consequence tends to be an external reinforcer

Reinforcement A tool used to support, establish, maintain, or generalize a behavior Kinds of reinforcers How much

Shaping/Fading/Prompting  “Shape” or prompt the correct response Block error or use maximum prompt to cue correct response Verbally prompt correct response Model correct response Reduce choices (simplify task) As student gains mastery fade or reduce the prompts

Data Collection We need to: Monitor student learning Monitor effectiveness of teaching strategies Write observable, measurable goals and objectives Demonstrate adequate yearly progress

Significant/ Pervasive Support Supports are Constant, High Intensity Limited Support Supports are Needed Consistently Intermittent Support Supports are on as Needed Basis Alternate curriculum or Life Skills Intensive social skills training Parent training and collaboration Multi-agency collaboration (wrap-around) services Modifying Core curriculum Varying response output Small group targeted instruction Pre-teach/Re-teach/Remediation Social Skill Training Based on Core Curriculum Universal Access Based on individual student’s need High-quality instructional methods & strategies that ensure progress Frequent assessment to monitor progress Positive reinforcement systems Adapted from: Institute On Violence and Destructive Behaviors, University of Oregon (1999)

Curriculum An applied curriculum that connects the general education concepts being taught with the context where those concepts are utilized in managing one’s everyday life is key to making the standard curriculum accessible for students with moderate to severe disabilities. Teaching Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities by Hammill & Everington

Strategies for Access to Standards- based Instruction  Curriculum provides multiple means of representation  Alternate modes for subject matter Visual Auditory Differentiated

 Curriculum provides multiple means of expression Allows students to respond with their preferred modality Accommodates the differing cognitive strategies and motor systems of students Strategies for Access to Standards- based Instruction (continued)

 Curriculum provides multiple means of engagement Students’ interests in learning are matched with the mode of presentation and their preferred means of expression Students are engaged Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) Strategies for Access to Standards- based Instruction (continued)

Importance of Choice-Making Relates to  Self-determination  Motivation  Positive behavior support Structuring Choice- Making  Within a task  Between tasks  Order of tasks  With whom to do task  “More” of task  Yes or no

Positive outcomes  Can live independently or semi- independently  Can develop meaningful social and personal relationships  Can be meaningfully employed within the community  Can enjoy a high quality of life

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." --Annie Dillard