TAYABAS WESTERN ACADEMY
Founded 1928
Candelaria, Quezon
Self-Learning Module
Name of Student: JOHN PAUL M. AREVALO Instructor Jessie V. Vasquez
Department College of Education Course/Year
Module No. 5 Units
Duration Week 5 Days (Time)
Date Submitted Subject
Code
Description Foundation of Education and Inclusive Special Education
Topic Students with Mental Retardation
Guidelines/Directions:
1. This self- learning module will be uploaded on the created Facebook group every
Monday of the week until 8:30 in the evening. This can also be distributed through
your thumb drive. Printed learning materials will also be given to the students who
would like to have.
2. Links/videos mentioned in this module are all downloaded and can be found on your
thumb drive.
3. For those who have their Facebook account and reliable internet connection,
send/upload your accomplished activities on the Facebook group created by your
instructor.
4. For those who can’t submit their work on the Facebook group, do all the written
activities in 1 whole sheet of yellow paper while the video presentations will be
submitted using your thumb drive.
5. Submission will be every Saturday of the week or as agreed in our GC.
6. For inquiries or clarifications, message me at 09178553051.
Introduction
. The chapter on students with mental retardation starts with a discussion of the different
perspectives and viewpoints about the disability. A broad definition of mental retardation is
presented together with an explanation of the factors and the assumptions on the presence of the
condition. The classification, causes and etiological factors, and the learning and behavior
characteristics of children with mental retardation are presented. The identification and
assessment procedures as well as the educational approaches are described.
Learning Targets
At the end of this week, the students are expected to:
1. Explain why mental retardation is a complex developmental disability;
2. Define mental retardation and explain the four factors and five assumptions in the
definition;
3. Enumerate and discuss the classification of mental retardation;
4. Identify and explain the causes of mental retardation during the phases of prenatal
development, the birth process, infancy and early childhood;
5. Name and describe the assessment procedures to screen and assess children with mental
retardation;
6. Enumerate and describe the educational approaches in teaching children with mental
retardation; and
7. Appreciate the fact that special education enables children with mental retardation to
develop their skills and potential.
Engage
Activity 1: (What do you think?)
“There is no one who cannot find a place for himself in our kind of world. Each one of us
has some unique capacity for realization. Every person is valuable in his or her own existence –
for himself alone.”
- George H. Bender
How will you interpret the statement given by George H. Bender?
In this statement says that all of us have goals and purpose in life that we can find through the
way we choose. As unique identity we can face the world in the way that we want for that
searching the good things that benefits to our life. Our existence showing that we have
importance that we can only find if we accept the reality.
Explore
Activity 2:
HOW WILL YOU DEFINE MENTAL RETARDATION?
(Share it here!)
Mental retardation is a form of intellectual disorder that affects children. It is characterized
as a substantially lower degree of intellectual functioning as calculated by standard intelligence
quotient tests and significant deficiencies in daily living skills. This is focus on the mental health
of the children that can be resulting of abnormalities when he/she grow up.
Explain
Read the discussion on book on pages (72-96).
Activity 3:
For further information watch and understand the video about Students with
mental retardation. You can watch it using this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JqAtARhjRE
Extend/Elaborate
Activity 4:
Read and understand the following questions. Make sure to elaborate your answers on each
question.
1. Explain the four elements in the 1992 AAMR definition of mental retardation.
Substantial limitation in present functioning: means that the person has difficulty in
performing everyday activities related to taking care of one’s self doing ordinary task at
home and work related to the other adaptive skills area. The areas of difficulty include
academic work if the person goes to school.
Significantly sub-average intellectual functioning: means that the person has significantly
below average intelligence. Intellectual functioning is a broad summation of cognitive
abilities, such as capacity to learn, solve problem, accumulate knowledge and adopt to
new situation. The person finds difficulty in learning the skills in school that children of
his age are able to learn. The intelligence quotient score is approximately in the flexible
lower IQ range 0 to 20 upper IQ range of 70-75 base on the result of assessment using
one ore more individual intelligence test.
The current IQ score cutoff is 70, though it is acknowledged that IQ scores are not exact
measure and therefore, a small number of individuals with mental retardation may attain
score as high is 75.
Sub-average intellectual functioning indicates that intelligence or at least intelligence test
score are not static or unchangeable. This current concept assumes that one’s intellectual
functioning can change, and a person diagnosed to have mental retardation at one point in
life may no longer meet the criteria or may no longer be mentally retarded at a later time.
Limitation in adaptive skills or behavior: show in the quality of everyday performance in
coping wit6h environmental demands. Persons with mental retardation fail to meet the
standard personal independence and social responsibility expected of their chronological
age and cultural group. The quality of general adaptation is immediate by the level of
intelligence. Adaptive skills are assessed by means of standardized adaptive behavior
scale.
Related limitation in the adaptive skills areas: means that the person has difficulty in
performing the following task;
1. Communication or ability to understand and communicate information by speaking
and writing
2. Self-care or the ability to take care of one’s needs in hygiene, grooming dressing,
eating, toileting
3. Home living or the ability to function in the home, housekeeping, clothing care,
property maintenance, cooking shopping, home safety, daily scheduling work.
4. Community use or travel in the community, shopping, obtaining service.
5. Social skills in initiating and terminating interaction, conversations, responding to
social cue, recognizing feelings, regulating own behavior, assisting other, fostering
friendship.
6. Self-direction in making choice, following schedule, completing required task,
seeking assistance and resolving problem.
7. Health and safety such as maintaining own health, identify and preventing illness,
first aid, sexuality, physical fitness and basic safety.
8. Functional academics or learning the basic skills taught in the school.
9. Leisure such as recreational activities that are appropriate to the age of the person.
10. Work or employment, appropriate to one’s age.
2. What makes mental retardation a complex, rather than a simple, developmental disability?
Mental Retardation is an outdated term first of all. Intellectual or Developmental Disability is the
proper term.
The brain is complicated. IDs and DDs affect the way different parts of the brain develop,
process, or store information. Compared to other issues that affect those areas such as head and
brain injuries and you can see how a snag in development or functioning can be so dramatic.
Intellectual and Developmental disabilities are more easily understood by those who aren't
experts or who don't have them by comparing it to faulty wiring or a damaged area of brain
tissue, or even confusing building plans. Something, we have no idea what yet, either crossed
some wires so certain things trigger regions they normally don't (think a switch in the kitchen for
your bathroom that doesn't have a door into there), something is preventing that area from
working at all, or even having areas of the brain that just… Aren't as developed as they should
be.
ADHD, one Developmental Disorder, causes a delay, a limit, or can even prevent, the function
and development of Executive Functions, which is governed by the Prefrontal Cortex. So you
could say part of ADHD is an issue with the way people can use their Prefrontal Cortex to do the
things people without ADHD can do with little to no issues.
This isn't saying that things like brain surgery or something could fix things like ADHD, it's
more complicated than that, but it's a good reference for how these disorders and disabilities can
be so complex and do so many things. It affects the entire brain in many, many, many ways we
just don't understand fully. And with how much we still don't understand on a fundamental way
even when it works “perfectly", the best thing to do for those you know who have these issues is
suport them. You may not understand, but be compassionate. They're working with hardware
and software that is fundamentally different from yours.
3. List the labels used in the past to describe children with mental retardation. Why are these
terms not used anymore today?
Cretin is the oldest and comes from a dialectal French word for Christian. The
implication was that people with significant intellectual or developmental disabilities
were "still human" (or "still Christian") and deserved to be treated with basic human
dignity. Individuals with the condition were considered to be incapable of sinning, thus
"christ-like" in their disposition. This term is not used in scientific endeavors since the
middle of the 20th century and is generally considered a term of abuse. Although cretin is
no longer in use, the term cretinism is still used to refer to the mental and physical
retardation resulting from untreated congenital hypothyroidism.
Amentia has a long history, mostly associated with dementia. The difference between
amentia and dementia was originally defined by time of onset. Amentia was the term used
to denote an individual who developed deficits in mental functioning early in life,
while dementia included individuals who develop mental deficiencies as adults. During
the 1890s, amentia meant someone who was born with mental deficiencies. By 1912,
ament was a classification lumping "idiots, imbeciles, and feeble minded" individuals in a
category separate from a dement classification, in which the onset is later in life.
Idiot indicated the greatest degree of intellectual disability, where the mental age is two
years or less, and the person cannot guard himself or herself against common physical
dangers. The term was gradually replaced by the term profound mental retardation.
Imbecile indicated an intellectual disability less extreme than idiocy and not necessarily
inherited. It is now usually subdivided into two categories, known as severe mental
retardation and moderate mental retardation.
Moron was defined by the American Association for the Study of the Feeble-minded in
1910, following work by Henry H. Goddard, as the term for an adult with a mental age
between eight and twelve; mild mental retardation is now the term for this condition.
Alternative definitions of these terms based on IQ were also used. This group was known
in UK law from 1911 to 1959/60 as feeble-minded.
Mongolism was a medical term used to identify someone with Down syndrome. The
Mongolian People's Republic requested that the medical community cease use of the term
as a referent to mental retardation. Their request was granted in the 1960s, when the
World Health Organization agreed that the term should cease being used within the
medical community.
In the field of special education, educable (or "educable mentally retarded") refers to MR
students with IQs of approximately 50–75 who can progress academically to a late
elementary level. Trainable (or "trainable mentally retarded") refers to students whose
IQs fall below 50 but who are still capable of learning personal hygiene and other living
skills in a sheltered setting, such as a group home. In many areas, these terms have been
replaced by use of "moderate" and "severe" mental retardation. While the names change,
the meaning stays roughly the same in practice.
Retarded comes from the Latin retardare, "to make slow, delay, keep back, or hinder,"
so mental retardation means the same as mentally delayed. The term was recorded in
1426 as a "fact or action of making slower in movement or time." The first record of
retarded in relation to being mentally slow was in 1895. The term retarded was used to
replace terms like idiot, moron, and imbecile because retarded was not (then) a
derogatory term. By the 1960s, however, the term had taken on a partially derogatory
meaning as well. The noun retard is particularly seen as pejorative; as of 2010, the
Special Olympics, Best Buddies and over 100 other organizations are striving to
eliminate the use of the "r-word" (analogous to the "n-word") in everyday conversation.
The term mental retardation is a diagnostic term denoting the group of disconnected categories
of mental functioning such as idiot, imbecile, and moron derived from early IQ tests, which
acquired pejorative connotations in popular discourse. The term mental retardation acquired
pejorative and shameful connotations over the last few decades due to the use of the
words retarded and retard as insults. This may have contributed to its replacement with
euphemisms such as mentally challenged or intellectually disabled. While developmental
disability includes many other disorders (see below), developmental
disability and developmental delay (for people under the age of 18), are generally considered
more polite terms than mental retardation.
4. What are the classifications of mental retardation? In what ways are they different from each
other?
1. Mild Mental Retardation:
About 90 per cent of the mentally retarded persons are found to belong to this category. They
have I. Qs of 55 to 69. They have the mental age of 8— 10-year-old child. However, only one
per cent of this category of mentally retarded requires institutional care. The rest of this group
are able to complete their minimum education in special classes and they can somehow manage
unskilled jobs.
They require little supervision. So, this group is considered as educable. They are capable of
showing the social behavior of adolescents. Though intellectually inferior, they have no actual
brain damage, neurological disorder or organic defect whatsoever. With special training and
proper care, they can be taught be self-supporting and to earn their livelihood independently.
2. Moderate Retardation:
Otherwise known as trainable retarded, moderately retarded people have the I.Q. range of 40 to
54 on the Wechsler scales. They have the mental age of a 5.7 to 8.2-year-old child. About 6 per
cent of the mentally retarded belong to this category.
As against the mild retarders, some kind of brain damage or physical or neurological disorder is
found in most of the moderately retarders. They appear to be clumsy and untidy both physically
and mentally and suffer from motor in coordination.
Though they somehow manage to speak, their speed of learning is quite slow. Though some of
them may require institutionalization, they can manage to live safely under the protection of their
family members.
They are in-fact, trainable and are capable of learning simple routine jobs and moderately simple
skills. Given proper training, treatment and sympathy, they can manage to earn their own
livelihood and live independently in the society.
3. Severe Retardation:
Severe retarded people have the I.Q. ranging from 25 to 39. They represent more than three per
cent of the retarded individuals. The majority of them are permanently institutionalized and
require constant care and attention.
Even they face problems while learning simple tasks. Since they are incapable of doing anything
independently, they require complete care and attention. Severe mental retardation is more often
than not associated with some sort of organic pathology like some genetic disorder or severe
brain damage due to accident, brain hazards and etc.
4. Profound Mental Retardation:
This category has I.Q. less than 25 i.e., mental age of a 3-year-old child. It represents 1% of the
mentally retarded people. They are completely incapable of looking after themselves. Thus, they
require complete hospitalization, immense attention and personal care. They even cannot attend
to their basic physical needs. They fail to learn even the simplest skills.
In profound retardation majority deformities of the brain, head and body are often observed.
Thus, there is gross physical disorder and lack of proper resistance as a result of which in many
cases a great percentage of profoundly retarded people die at a very early age. In other words,
their life span is very short.
The above classification of mental retardation has been made oil the basis of I.Q. scores only.
But since the AAMD definition of mental retardation also includes adaptive behavior, as a
significant criterion for diagnosis, a person with an I.Q. of 60 if scores very high on an adaptive
behavior scale, he may not be considered so much mentally retarded as the I.Q. (60) alone would
suggest.
They differ in others base on the assessment of the IQ test score that make them differ to each
other.
5. Enumerate and describe the causes of mental retardation.
The specific biological causes are known for about two-thirds of individual with the more severe
forms that include the moderate, severe and profound types. It is important to understand that the
causes listed are conditions, diseases and syndromes that are associated with mental retardation.
These conditions may or may not result in mental retardation or deficits of intellectual and
adaptive functioning that defines mental retardation. Some of the conditions may or may not
require special education services. The term syndrome refers to a number of symptoms of
characteristics that occur together and provide the defining features to a given disease or
condition.
The environmental causes are traced to a psychological disadvantage which is a combination of
poor social and cultural environments early in the child life. The term developmental retardation
is used to refer to mild mental retardation thought to be cause by environmental influences such
as minimal opportunities to develop early language, child abuse and neglect, and or chronic
social or sensory deprivation. A number of studies illustrate the occurs of intergenerational
progression in which the cumulative experiential deficits in social and academic stimulation are
transmitted to children from low socio-economic status environments (Greenspan, 1992). The
following factors are found contribute to environmentally caused mental retardation (Grenspan,
et al. 1999
1. limited parenting practices that produce low rates of vocabulary growth
in early childhood;
2 instructional practices in high school and adolescence that produce low
rates of academic engagement during the school years,
3. lower rates of academic achievement and early school failure and early
school dropout, and
4. parenthood and continuance of the progression into the next generation.
Some prenatal causes, or those that originate during conception or pregnancy until before birth
are chromosomal disorders such as trisomy 21 or Down syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Fragile
X syndrome, Prader- Willi syndrome, Phenylketonuria, and William syndrome,
Down syndrome, named after Dr. Langdon Down, is the best known and well researched
biological condition associated with mental retardation. It is estimated to account 1or 5 to
6% of all cases. Caused by chromosomal abnormality, the most common is trisomy 2l in
which the 21st set of chromosomes level of mental is triplet rather than a pair. Trisomy 2
most often results in moderate level to mental retardation, although some individuals
function in the mild or severe ranges. DS affects about 1 in 1,000 live births. The
probability of having a baby with DS increases or approximately 1 in 30 tor women at
age 45. Older women are at "high risk for babies with DS and other developmental
disabilities.
The characteristic physical features are short stature; flat, broad face with small ears and nose;
upward slanting eyes, small mouth with short root, protruding tongue that may cause articulation
problems, hypertonia or floppy muscles; heart defects are common, susceptibility to ear and
respiratory infection; older persons are at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
In Klinefelter syndrome, males receive an extra X chromosome Sterility,
underdevelopment of male sex organs, acquisition of female secondary sex
characteristics are common. Males with XY sex chromosomes instead of the normal XY
often have problems with socials, auditory perception, language, sometimes mild levels
of cognitive retardation. This condition is more often associated with learning disabilities
than with mental retardation.
In Fragile X syndrome a triplet or repeat mutation on the X chromosome interferes with
the production of FMR-I protein which is essential on normal brain functioning. Majority
of males experience mild to moderate mental retardation in childhood and moderate to
severe deficit in adulthood. Females may carry and transmit the mutation to their child
but tend to have fewer disabilities than affected males. The condition affects
approximately one in four thousand males. It is the most common clinical type of mental
retardation after Down syndrome. It is charactering by social anxiety, avoiding eye
contact, tactile defensiveness, turning body away during face-to-face interactions and
stylized, ritualistic forms of greeting. Preservative speech often includes repetition of
words a phrases child.
William syndrome is caused by the deletion of a portion of the sevens chromosome.
Cognitive functioning ranges from normal to mild and moderate levels of mental
retardation. The characteristics are: elfin dwarf-like facial features; the physical features
and manner of expression exudes cheerfulness and happiness; "overly friendly, lack of
reserve toward strangers, often have uneven profiles of skills, with strengths a vocabulary
and storytelling s often hyperactive, may have difficulty staying on task and weaknesses
in visual-spatial skills low tolerance for frustration or teasing.
Prader-Willi syndrome is a syndrome disorder caused by the deletion of a portion of
chromosome 15. Initially, infants have hypertonia or floppy muscles and may to be tube-
fed. The initial phase is followed by the development of insatiable appetite. Constant
preoccupation with food can lead to life-threatening obesity if food seeking is not
monitored. The condition affects one in ten to twenty-five thousand live births. Its
associated with mild retardation and learning disabilities. Behavior problems are
common, such as impulsivity, aggressiveness, temper tantrums, obsessive-compulsive
behavior, some forms of injurious behavior such as skin picking, delayed motor skills,
short stature, small hands and feet and underdeveloped genitalia.
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is one of the inborn errors of metabolism PKU is a genetically
inherited condition in which a child is born without an important enzyme needed to break
down an amino acid called phenylalanine found in dairy products and other protein-rich
foods. Failure to break down this amino acid causes brain damage that often results in
aggressiveness, hyperactivity and severe mental retardation in the United States, PKU has
been virtually eliminated through widespread screening. By analyzing the concentration
of phenylalanine newborn, blood plasma, doctors can diagnose PKU and treat it a special
diet. Most children who receive the treatment early enough have early normal intellectual
development Developmental disorders of brain formation include cranial malformations:
anencephaly, the major portions of the brain are absent. This is major neural tube defects,
that i5, it occurs in the brain or the spinal cord. In microcephaly, the skull is small and
conical, the spine is curved and typically leads to stooped portion and severe mental
retardation. In hydrocephaly, blockage of cerebrospinal fluid in the cranial cavity causes
an enlarged head and undue pressure on the brain.
For environmental influences include maternal malnutrition, irradiation during pregnancy
juvenile diabetes mellitus and fetal alcohol syndrome or FAS, FAS is one of the leading causes
of mental retardation. The mother's excessive alcohol use during pregnancy has toxic or
poisonous effects on the fetus, including physical defects and developmental delays. FAS is
diagnosed
when the child has two or more craniofacial malformation and growth is below
the 10th percentile for height and weight. Children who have some but not all of
the diagnostic criteria for FAS and a history of the mother's prenatal alcohol
exposure is diagnosed with fetal alcohol effect or FAE, a condition associated
with hyperactivity and learning problems. The incidence is higher than Down
syndrome and cerebral palsy. The characteristics are cognitive impairment, sleep
disturbances, motor dysfunctions, hyperirritability, aggression, and conduct problems. Although
the risk is highest during the first three months of pregnancy, pregnant women should avoid
drinking alcohol anytime.
II. Perinatal causes include:
Intrauterine disorders such as maternal anemia, premature delivery, abnormal presentation,
umbilical cord accidents and multiple gestation in the case of twins, triplets, quadruplets and
other types of multiple births. Birth trauma may result from anoxia or cutting off of oxygen
supply to the brain. While mental retardation still may occur because of these conditions,
improvements in fetal monitoring and the subsequent increase in caesarean births have reduced
the likelihood of perinatal causation (Culatta et al., 2003).
Neonatal disorders such as intracranial hemorrhage, neonatal seizures,
respiratory disorders, meningitis, encephalitis, head trauma at birth.
III. Postnatal causes include:
head injuries such as cerebral concussion, contusion or laceration:
infections such as encephalitis, meningitis, malaria, German measles. rubella;
demyelinating disorders such as post infectious disorders, post immunization disorders;
degenerative disorders such as Rett syndrome, Huntington disease,
Parkinson’s disease,
seizure disorders such as epilepsy, toxic-metabolic disorders such as Reye's syndrome,
laid or mercury poisoning
malnutrition especially lack of proteins and calories
environmental deprivation such as psychosocial disadvantage, child abuse and neglect,
chronic social/sensory deprivation, and
Hypo connection syndrome.
Cultural-familial retardation refers to the existence of lowered intelligence of unknown origin
associated with a history of mental retardation in one or more family members. Though there are
specific and known causes in some cases of mild mental retardation, typically it is thought to be
cultural/familial. The condition results from the lack of adequate stimulation during infancy and
early childhood.
Diseases of the mother during pregnancy may also result in retardation. Infections caused by
sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, AIDS, toxoplasmosis (blood
poisoning) and rubella can have negative effects on the developing fetus. Maternal rubella is
most likely to cause retardation, blindness or deathless when the disease occurs during the first
trimester of pregnancy.
6. What are the common characteristics of persons with mental retardation? Explain why they
manifest these characteristics.
The main characteristics of mental retardation include a lower-than-average intelligent quotient
(IQ), difficulty with practical daily life skills, learning difficulties or disabilities, developmental
delays, memory problems and lower attention spans. Not every person who is diagnosed with
mental retardation will display every common characteristic, but most of them are present to
some extent in the majority of mentally retarded individuals. Mental retardation also can be
linked with physical disabilities and an abnormal physical appearance.
We can say that those characteristic manifests to have mental retardation because they have the
same problem that is the signal of having the illness.
7. What assessment procedures are used in the Philippines to identify children and youth with
mental retardation?
Traditional Assessment ln the traditional assessment model, the parents fill in a pre-referral form
the family history and the developmental history of the child. Then the child parents are referred
to a team of clinical practitioners for thorough evaluation the child's intellectual, socio-emotional
and physical development, health on and other significant information. The members of the team
are a developmental psychologist, early childhood special educator, an early childhood a
speech/language pathologist (SLP), an occupational therapist, a physical therapist child
psychiatrist or clinical psychologist, a physician and nurse and other specialists contribute their
own specialized evaluation process.
Team-Based Assessment Approach Because children with mental retardation often have other
problem it is necessary to involve a team of practitioner the traditional model of assessment, he
team-based approach is d multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary in nature.
ln multidisciplinary assessment, individual team members independently assess and report
results without consulting or integrating their findings with one another.
In interdisciplinary assessment, the members conduct an independent assessment and evaluation
individually the findings are integrated together with recommendation.
Transdisciplinary assessment on the other hand, allows other team member as facilitators during
the assessment process. A natural extension of s approach is the involvement of the family in the
decision-making process.
Activity-Based Assessment
The activity-based model of assessment for young children with developmental delays or
disabilities is better than the other models because of parental involvement as well as the
development of meaningful, child-centered positive behavioral supports and activity-based
interventions. Assessment finding are easily translated into the child's program plan. The
assessment materials have a curriculum and evaluation components, and do not require
specialized materials or test kits. Examples of criterion referenced assessment tools are the
Assessment Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children (AEPS) and Infant-
Preschool assessment Scale (IPAS).
Cognitive/Developmental Assessment Tools
Some of the commonly used assessment tools for measuring the mental ability of children with
mental retardation are: The Differential Ability (DAS), Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of
Intelligence-Revised Scale R, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Ill (WISC-II) and the S
(WPPSI Binet: Fourth Edition. (Beime-Smith et al, 2002)
Adaptive Behavior Assessment Tools
Adaptive behavior is an important and necessary part of the definition and diagnosis of mental
retardation. It is the ability to perform daily activities required for personal and social
sufficiency.
8. Enumerate the types of educational placement for students with mental retardation. Describe
each type.
Placement refers to the amount of time in each school day that a student spends in the resource or
in a general education classroom. The school district is required to have a range of placements
where your child can be taught, including in the general education classroom.
In deciding your child’s placement, the ARD committee must make sure your child spends as
much of their school day (as is appropriate) with children who do not have disabilities. This
includes academic, nonacademic, and after school activities. This part of IDEA is called Least
Restrictive Environment or LRE. And, in this case, the word "appropriate" follows the definition
of Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
The LRE for children with disabilities depend on each child’s unique needs. It’s important to
know that the school district cannot use a “one size fits all” approach to educating children who
have disabilities.
The Educational Setting
There are some common placements in which students might get specific services. Teams of
trained teachers and aides are in all types of placements.
A student could be placed in a single setting all day or spend parts of the day in different settings.
For example, a student in a mainstream education classroom all day might receive special
education services in the same general education classroom as part of regularly scheduled
instruction time. Or, a student might go to different educational settings for part – or all – of the
day to receive special education services.
There shouldn’t be any surprises, because educational placement is part of an Individualized
Education Program (IEP) created by your child’s ARD committee. You are a part of this
committee and have the right to agree with (or disagree with) your child’s placement. To learn
more about what to do when you disagree with your child's placement, see our When You’re
Having Trouble Getting the Right Services for Your Child page.
Here are some educational settings your child could have:
Mainstream (many people refer to this as General Education): Many students receive
special education and related services in a general education classroom where peers
without disabilities also spend their days. This is called inclusion. Some services that a
student might receive in a mainstream setting include: direct instruction, a helping
teacher, team teaching, co-teaching, an interpreter, education aides, modifications or
accommodations in lessons or instruction, or more teachers per student.
Resource: This is a class for students who receive special education services and need
intensive help to keep up with grade-level work. The class may have 1 or 2 students, or
may have many students. However, students receive instruction or support based on their
unique needs. The number of minutes your child spends in a resource class must be
written into the IEP.
Self-Contained Programs: This is a general term for placements for which the student
needs to receive services outside of the general education classroom for half of the school
day or more. Placement in a self-contained classroom has to be based on a student’s
unique needs, not on the disability alone.
9. Do you favor inclusive education for students with disabilities? Explain your stand on the
issue.
In my stand, I’m favor in inclusive education for student with disabilities because treating them
as a normal is just like getting them an equal opportunity to experience the life that maybe hard
to them because of their disabilities. Inclusive education can be the bridge in fully understand
that disabilities are not the reason to stop them to dream and also to know that personas with
disabilities have importance just like us as normal.
10. What strategies are used in teaching students with mental retardation?
Teaching children with mental retardation requires explicit and systematic instruction. One such
method of teaching is the Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA which is derived from the theory
and principles of behavior modification and the effect of the environment on the learning
process.
Task analysis is the process of breaking down complex or multiple skills into smaller, easier-to-
learn subtasks. Direct and frequent measurement of the increments of learning is done to keep
track of the effects of instruction and to introduce needed changes whenever necessary. Active
Student Response (ASR) or the observable response made to an instructional antecedent is
correlated of student achievement Systematic feedback through positive reinforcement is
employed whenever needed by rewarding the student's correct responses wi simple positive
comments, gestures or facial expressions. Meanwhile incorrect responses are immediately
corrected (error correct technique) by asking the student to repeat the correct responses after the
teacher.
The application of learned skills in the natural environment is emphasized in the Transfer of
Stimulus Control method of instruction. Correct responses rewarded through positive
reinforcement. Conversely, generalization and maintenance of learned skills or the extent to
which students can apply correctly what they have learned across settings and over time are
measured and recorded.
Evaluate
Activity 5:
Reflection and Application of Learning
1. Before you studied this chapter, what were your ideas about persons with mental retardation?
How did such preconceived ideas come about?
Before I studied this chapter my ideas about person with mental retardation is that they are the
person who need extra caring because they are very much depending on their family having an
intellectual disorder they are in high risk to different type of illness.
2. What skills can the 14-1/2-year-old boy Raymond who has profound mental retardation do:
a. Independently, or alone, by himself?
He can pour water into a glass
He can remove and put on his clothes, slippers, shoes, socks and fold garments
b. With minimal verbal and physical prompts?
He can do some of the household activities like washing the dishes (plastic or melamine
plates, spoons, forks, glasses)
Watering plants
Sweeping and mopping the floors
Wiping the table
He can execute simple cooking procedures like slicing ham or hotdog with a plastic knife
Beating an egg and scramble it
He shows enthusiasm in scooping elbow macaroni from one bowl to another and pouring
water from a pitcher to glass
c. With maximum verbal prompts and physical assistance?
Do simply laundry (handkerchief and towel)
He can execute simple cooking procedures like slicing ham or hotdog with a
plastic knife
Beating an egg and scramble it
3. How old were you when you learned to do those skills for the first time?
I was 9 years old when I learned to do those skills.
4. What skills can Raymond not do yet for a teenager his age?
The skills can Raymond not do yet for a teenager is tie his shoelace and toilet trained.
5. How do you feel about being a prison with a developmental disability like Raymond?
In that situation, I can feel worthless because even you want to do something you like, your
disability makes stopping you. It limits the things that you want that normal can do. But in other
hand it gives determination to trust your self that it is not the reason to continue your life.
6. How can you take care of yourself so that you will continue to develop normally and be a
successful adult?
I can take care my self in giving importance on my physical, social, emotional and spiritual
health so that the barriers like illness can be eradicate. A healthy lifestyle can be the key to
develop myself normally and be a successful adult.
