The Mentally Retarded

The Mentally Retarded
Intellectual Disability
Nature of Mental Retardation
- It is commonly referred to as general learning disability.
This term encompasses all levels of sub-normal
intellectual functioning. It also includes the entire range
of individuals who score significantly below average on
intelligence test and whose consistently below average
general performance cannot be attributed to sensory
disabilities and/ or emotional problems.
Causes:
1. Cultural familial. Causation is due to complex interaction
between environment and hereditary factors.
2. Organic causes. These result from:
 Chromosomal defects like an extra chromosome which
may produce mongolism or Down’s Syndrome
 Genetic defects which result in metabolic disturbances,
incompatibility of blood chemistry, incompatibility of blood
chemistry between parents or parent and child
 Glandular disorders which result in cretinism
Identification/ Assessment
Characteristics
1. Physical-
 Usually smaller in stature than the so-called normal
and weighs slightly less
 Has higher incidence of physical defects
 Shows poor motor coordination
 The mongoloid has slit eyes, round face, and stubby
extremities. He is stocky and the back of his head is
generally flat.
2. Intellectual/ Learning
 Poor memory particularly short term memory
 Limited ability to understand cause and effect
 Faulty concept formation
 Inaccurate perception
 Impoverished language
 Difficulty in making generalization
3. Social/ Emotional
 Manifests perseveration
 Behavior is on either extreme, such as overly aggressive
or withdrawn
 Hyperkinetic
 Sociable and exhibits adaptive behavior to the demands of the
environment but has difficulty in delaying gratification
DIAGNOSIS
 Tools
1. Medical
- physical examination- recommended where physical defects may
interfere with learning
- neurological examination- recommended where brain damage or
injury may affect the learning process
2. Intellectual Assessment
- Philippine Non- verbal Intelligence Test ( PNIT ) This is
recommended for children between 5 and 13 years; it can be used with
nonreaders and can be administered individually.
Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test ( OLMAT ) This is recommended for
children in the primary grades. It can be administered individually to
non-readers
Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices. This refers to a non-verbal test
for children which can be administered individually or in groups.
Chicago Non-Verbal Examination. It is designed for use with individuals
from 6 years and above and may be given individually or in groups.
Arthur Point Scale of Performance. This consists of a set of five
performance tests with norms based on CA and MA
Peabody Picture of Vocabulary Test. It is a non-verbal test used for
children from 2 ½ years and above.
Goodenough Draw-A- Man Test. It is a performance test which reveals
the child’s accuracy of observation and development of conceptual
thinking
3. Personality Assessment
 Vineland Social maturity Scale. This is an inventory of social skills
which indicates maturity level of young children.
 Gesell Developmental Schedules. It indicates the child’s develop
mental schedules from 0-6 years.
4. Perceptual Assessment
 Auditory Discrimination test. It is used for children, ages 5-8 years
to examine their ability to detect likenesses and differences in
sounds
 Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test. It is recommended to asses visual
motor functioning in relation to maturation from 5 years and above.
5. Educational Assessment.
o Metropolitan Readiness Test. It is used with kindergarten pupils to
indicate readiness in language and numbers.
- Reading readiness tests
- Teacher made diagnostic tests
- Task analysis approach- a descriptive approach to describing
behavior which does not require speculating or hypothesizing as to
the causes of performance problems.
- Observational techniques such as learning behavior checklists and
rating scales.
6.General Procedures of Diagnosis
 determine the child’s learning disability through referrals or
observations.
 measure the child’s present achievement through teacher-made test
 analyze how the child learns by recognizing his learning modalities
strengths and weaknesses
 explore why the child is not learning through psycho-educational
evaluation and case histories.
 collate and interpret data and formulate a diagnostic hypothesis
 develop a plan of action. Revise and modify it as the child moves
along.
Developmental Characteristics of The Mentally Challenge
Degree
1. Mild-
a) Pre school age 0-5- Maturation and Development
- can develop social and communication skills; minimal retardation
in sensory motor areas: often not distinguished from normal until later
age.
b) School age 6-20 – Training and Education
- can learn academic skills up to approximately sixth grade level
by late teens. Can be guided toward social conformity.
“ Educable “.
c) Adult 21 and over school and vocational
- can usually achieve social and vocational skills adequate to
minimum self support but may need guidance and assistance when
under unusual social or economic stress.
2. Moderate
- can talk and/ or learn to communicate; poor social awareness;
fair motor development; profits from training in self help; can be
managed with moderate supervision.
- can profit from training in school and occupational skills, unlikely
to progress beyond second grade level in academic subjects;
may learn to travel alone in familiar places.
- may achieve self maintenance in skilled work under sheltered
conditions; needs supervision and guidance when under mild
or social economic stress
3. Severe
- poor motor development; speech is minimal; generally unable
to profit from training in self-help, little or no communication
- can talk or learn to communicate; can be trained in elemental
health habits; profits from systematic habit training
-may contribute partially to self- maintenance under complete
supervision; can develop self- protection skills to useful level in
controlled environment.
4. Profound
-gross retardation, minimal capacity for functioning sensory
motor areas; needs nursing care
- some motor development present; may respond to minimum
limited training in self- help
- some motor and speech development may achieve achieve
very limited self- care; needs nursing care
Developmental Characteristics of the Mentally Challenged
1. Mentally retarded- those who, because of subnormal mental
development, are unable to profit sufficiently from the program of
regular elementary school , but who are considered to have
potentialities for development in three areas:
 educability in academic subjects of the school at a minimum
level
 educability in social adjustment to a point where he can get
along independently in the community
 Minimal occupational adequacies to such a degree that he can
later support himself partially or totally at the adult level
2. Moderately retarded- those who are not educable in the field of
academic achievement, ultimate social adjustment independently
in the community , or independent occupational adjustment at
the adult level but have potentialities for learning.
 Self-help skills
 Social adjustment in the family and in the neighborhood
 Economic usefulness in the home, in a residential school, or in
a sheltered workshop
3. Severely retarded- those who can talk and learn to communicate
and
and can be trained in elemental health habits and may contribute
partially to self- maintenance under complete supervision; and can
develop self protection skills to a minimal useful level in controlled
environment.
4. Profoundly retarded- those who, because of very severe mental
retardation, are unable to be trained in total self-care, socialization, or
economic usefulness and who need continued help in taking care of
his personal needs throughout life.

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