Table 15.

5: Severity Levels for Intellectual Disability

Severity Level Conceptual Domain Social Domain Practical Domain

Mild • No obvious • More immature in • May function age

conceptual differences social interactions appropriately given
for pre-school children compared to personal care
typically developing
• For school-age age-mates • Need some support
children and adults, with complex daily
difficulties in learning • Communication, living tasks in
academic skills conversation, and comparison to peers
involving reading, language are more
writing, arithmetic, concrete or • In adulthood,
time, or money, with immature than supports typically
support needed in expected for age. involve grocery
one or more areas in shopping,
order to meet age- • Difficulties in transportation,
related expectations regulating emotion home and child-care
and behavior. in age- organizing,
appropriate fashion nutritious food
preparation, and
banking and money
management
Severity Level Conceptual Domain Social Domain Practical Domain

Mild • In Adults, abstract • Difficulties

thinking, executive noticed by peers in
are • Recreation
resemble those of
skills

functioning, and short social situations age-mates, although

term memory, as well • Limited judgment related to
as functioning use of understanding of well-being and
academic skills, are risks in social organization around
impaired situations; social recreation requires
• Somewhat concrete judgment is support
approach to problems immature for age, • In adulthood,
and solutions and the person is at competitive
compared with age- risk of being employment is often
mates manipulated by seen in jobs that do
others (gullibility) not emphasize
conceptual skills

• Generally need
support to make
health care
decisions and legal
 Severity Level Conceptual Domain Social Domain Practical Domain
decision, and to learn to
perform skilled vocation
competently
• Support is typically
needed to raise a
family

Moderate • Conceptual
markedly
are • Marked differences
behind from peers in social
• Can care for personal
needs involving
those of peers of and communicative eating, dressing,
through behaviour across elimination, and
development development hygiene as an adult,
• For preschoolers, • Spoken language is although and
language and pre- typically a primary extended period of
academic skills tool for social teaching and time is
develop slowly communication but needed for the
• For school age much less complex Individual to become
children, progress in than that of peers independent in these
reading writing • Capacity for areas, and reminders
mathematics and relationships is may be needed.
understanding of evident in ties to • Participation in all
family and friends household tasks can
Severity Level Conceptual Domain Social Domain Practical Domain
time and money occurs and the individual may be achieved by
slowly across the school have successful adulthood through
years and is markedly friendships across life extended period of
limited compared to and sometimes teaching and support
that of peers romantic relationship • Independent
• For adults, academic across life in adulthood employment in jobs
skill development is • May not perceive or that require limited
typically at an interpret social cues conceptual and
elementary level, and accurately communication skills
support is required • Friendships with can be achieved with
for all use of typically developing considerable support
academic skills in peers are often from coworkers.
work and personal affected by supervison, and
life communication or others order to
• Ongoing assistance social limiitations manage social
on a daily basis is • Significant social and expectation, job
needed to complete communicative complexities and
conceptual tasks of support is needed in anciliary responsibily
day-to-day life. and work settings for such as scheduling
others may take over success transportation health
these responsibilities benefits and money
fully for the management
individual
Severity Level Conceptual Domain Social Domain Practical Domain
• A variety of
recreational skills can
be developed
• Typically require
additional support
and learning
opportunities over a
period of time.
• Maladaptive
behaviour is present
in significant mincrity
and causes social
problems

Severe • Attainment of • Spoken language is • Requires support for

conceptual skills is quite limited in terms all activities daily
limited of vocabulary and living including meals
• Generally has limited grammar dressing, bathing and
understanding of • Speech may be elimination
written language or single words or • Requires supervisions
of concepts involving phrases and may be at all times
numbers, quantity, supplemented • Cannot make
time, and money through responsible decision
augmentative means regarding one's or
Severity Level Conceptual Domain Social Domain Practical Domain
• Caretakers provide • Speech and others well being
extensive support communications are • In adulthood.
problem-solving focused on the here participation in tasks
throughout life and now within at home, recreating
everyday events and work requires
• Language in used for ongoing support and
social communication assistance
more than for • Skill acquisition in all
explication domains involves
• Understand simple long-term teaching
speech and gestural and ongoing support
communication • Maladaptive
• Relationships on behavior, including
family member and self-injury, is present
familiar others are in a significant
source of pleasure minority
and help
 Severity Level Conceptual Domain Social Domain Practical Domain

Profound • Generally involve the

physical world rather
• Very limited
• Understanding of
• Dependent on others
for all aspects of daily
than symbolic symbolic physical care, health,
processes communication in and safety, although
• May use objects in speech or gesture, may be able to
goal-directed fashion may understand participate in some
for self-care, work, some simple of these activities as
and recreation instructions or well
• Certain visuospatial gestures • Those without severe
skills, such a • Expresses desires and physical impairments
matching and sorting emotions largely may assist with some
based on physical through nonverbal, daily work tasks at
characteristics maybe nonsymbolic home, like carrying
acquired communication dishes to the table
• Co-occurring motor • Enjoys relationships • Simple actions with
and sensory with well-known objects may be the
impairments may family members, basis of participation
prevent functional caretakers, and in some vocational
use of objects familiar others, and activities with high
initiates and responds levels of ongoing
to social interactions support
through gestural and
emotional cures
 Severity Level Conceptual Domain Social Domain Practical Domain

Profound • Co-occurring sensory • Recreational

and physical activities may involve
impairments may enjoyment In
prevent many social listening to music,
activities watching movies,
going out for walks,
or participating in
water activities, all
with support of
others
• Co-occurring physical
and sensory
impairments are bol
frequent barriers to
participation (beyond
watching) in home,
recreational, and
vocational activities
• Maladaptive
behavior is present in
a significant majority
 Characteristics of
Learners with
Intellectual Disability
Characteristics of Learners with Intellectual Disability

Cognitive Adaptive
Behavior
Functioning
 Characteristics of Learners with Intellectual Disability

Cognitive Adaptive Behavioral excesses

Functioning and challenging
Behavior Behavior
 Characteristics of Learners with Intellectual Disability

Behavioral
Adaptive excesses and Positive
Attributes
Behavior challenging
Behavior
 Characteristics of Learners with Intellectual Disability

Cognitive Positive
Functioning
Attributes
 
A. Cognitive Functioning
• Learning Rate - Children with intellectual disability acquire new knowledge at rate
well below that of typically developing children. Because students with learning
disabilities learn more slowly than their peers, some educators assume that
instruction should be slowed down to match their lower learning rates.

• Memory - They have difficulty remembering information, especially those with more severe
impairment.
 
• Attention - They typically attend slower on relevant features of a learning task than students without
disabilities. They often have difficulty keeping attention on learning tasks.

• Generalization and Maintenance - They have difficulty in transferring or generalizing newly learned
knowledge and skills to settings or situations that differ from conditions where they learned the skill.
 
• Motivation - Some students lack interest in learning or participating in problem solving tasks. Some
develop learned helplessness, in which one's repeated experiences of failure results to expectation of
failure regardless of effort. Some also develop outer-directedness, in which an individual distrusts one's
own responses to situations and rely on others for assistance and solutions.
 
A. Cognitive Functioning
• Learning Rate - Children with intellectual disability acquire new knowledge at rate well below that of
typically developing children. Because students with learning disabilities learn more slowly than their
peers, some educators assume that instruction should be slowed down to match their lower learning
rates.

• Memory - They have difficulty remembering information, especially those with more
severe impairment.
 
• Attention - They typically attend slower on relevant features of a learning task than students without
disabilities. They often have difficulty keeping attention on learning tasks.

• Generalization and Maintenance - They have difficulty in transferring or generalizing newly learned
knowledge and skills to settings or situations that differ from conditions where they learned the skill.
 
• Motivation - Some students lack interest in learning or participating in problem solving tasks. Some
develop learned helplessness, in which one's repeated experiences of failure results to expectation of
failure regardless of effort. Some also develop outer-directedness, in which an individual distrusts one's
own responses to situations and rely on others for assistance and solutions.
 
A. Cognitive Functioning
• Learning Rate - Children with intellectual disability acquire new knowledge at rate well below that of
typically developing children. Because students with learning disabilities learn more slowly than their
peers, some educators assume that instruction should be slowed down to match their lower learning
rates.

• Memory - They have difficulty remembering information, especially those with more severe
impairment.
 
• Attention - They typically attend slower on relevant features of a learning task than
students without disabilities. They often have difficulty keeping attention on learning
tasks.

• Generalization and Maintenance - They have difficulty in transferring or generalizing newly learned
knowledge and skills to settings or situations that differ from conditions where they learned the skill.
 
• Motivation - Some students lack interest in learning or participating in problem solving tasks. Some
develop learned helplessness, in which one's repeated experiences of failure results to expectation of
failure regardless of effort. Some also develop outer-directedness, in which an individual distrusts one's
own responses to situations and rely on others for assistance and solutions.
 
A. Cognitive Functioning
• Learning Rate - Children with intellectual disability acquire new knowledge at rate well below that of
typically developing children. Because students with learning disabilities learn more slowly than their
peers, some educators assume that instruction should be slowed down to match their lower learning
rates.

• Memory - They have difficulty remembering information, especially those with more severe
impairment.
 
• Attention - They typically attend slower on relevant features of a learning task than students without
disabilities. They often have difficulty keeping attention on learning tasks.

• Generalization and Maintenance - They have difficulty in transferring or generalizing

newly learned knowledge and skills to settings or situations that differ from
conditions where they learned the skill.
 
• Motivation - Some students lack interest in learning or participating in problem solving tasks. Some
develop learned helplessness, in which one's repeated experiences of failure results to expectation of
failure regardless of effort. Some also develop outer-directedness, in which an individual distrusts one's
own responses to situations and rely on others for assistance and solutions.
 
A. Cognitive Functioning
• Learning Rate - Children with intellectual disability acquire new knowledge at rate well below that of
typically developing children. Because students with learning disabilities learn more slowly than their
peers, some educators assume that instruction should be slowed down to match their lower learning
rates.

• Memory - They have difficulty remembering information, especially those with more severe
impairment.
 
• Attention - They typically attend slower on relevant features of a learning task than students without
disabilities. They often have difficulty keeping attention on learning tasks.

• Generalization and Maintenance - They have difficulty in transferring or generalizing newly learned
knowledge and skills to settings or situations that differ from conditions where they learned the skill.
 
• Motivation - Some students lack interest in learning or participating in problem
solving tasks. Some develop learned helplessness, in which one's repeated
experiences of failure results to expectation of failure regardless of effort. Some also
develop outer-directedness, in which an individual distrusts one's own responses to
situations and rely on others for assistance and solutions.
 B. Adaptive Behavior
• Self-care and Daily Living Skills - Direct instruction and environmental
supports such as added prompts and simplified routines are important in
ensuring that limitations in their adaptive areas do not severely affect the
quality of life.
 
• Social Relationships-Their poor communication skills, inability to recognise others' emotional
state, and unusual or inappropriate behaviors can rent to social isolation. It is important to
teach them appropriate social and interpersonal skills.
 B. Adaptive Behavior
• Self-care and Daily Living Skills - Direct instruction and environmental supports such as added
prompts and simplified routines are important in ensuring that limitations in their adaptive
areas do not severely affect the quality of life.
 
• Social Relationships-Their poor communication skills, inability to recognise
others' emotional state, and unusual or inappropriate behaviors can rent to
social isolation. It is important to teach them appropriate social and
interpersonal skills.
C. Behavioral Excesses and Challenging Behavior

• Students with intellectual disability are more likely to exhibit

behavior problems than those without. For instance, they may
have difficulty accepting criticis limited self-control, and bizarre
and inappropriate behaviors such as aggression or self-injury.
 D. Positive Attributes

• Individuals with intellectual disabilities may display tenacity and

curiosity in learning, have good relationship with others, and
positively influence other individuals around them.
Assessment of Intellectual Disabilities
• Calculation of IQ Score IQ scores relate mental age
(MA) or the mental capacity
based on the test score, to chronological age (CA) or the
actual birth age. 1Q score is calculated by dividing the
MA by the CA and then multiplying the result by 100
(Wilmshurst & Brue, 2010). For example:
(MA/CA) x 100 = 10
A student's mental age (MA) = 4 years A student's
chronological age (CA) = 5 years
 
(4/5) x 100 = 80 The student's IQ = 80
 Table 15.6: Assessment Materials for Intellectual Disability

Test Purpose Ages Testing Time

Adaptive Behavior and Supports Intensity Assessment Measures
Adaptive Behavior Provides a complete assessment of Birth-89 15-20 minutes
Assessment-Third adaptive skills across the life span
(ABA5-3)
Adaptive Behavior Provides a measure of adaptive 4-18 15-20 minutes
Evaluation Scale- behaviors necessary for success in
Revised Second the educational and residental
Edition (ABES-R2 settings that are not measured by
academic skills testing

Diagnostic Adaptive Provides a comprehensive 4-21 20-30 minutes

Behavior Scale (DABS) standardized assessment of
adaptive behavior
Supports Intensity Measures the relative intensity of 5-16 30-50 minutes
Scale-Children's support needs of children with
Version (525-C) intellectual disability
 Test Purpose Ages Testing Time
Supports Intensity Measures the relative intensity of 16 and above 30-60 minutes
Scale-Adult Version support needs of people with
(SIS-A) intellectual disability

•Vineland Adaptive Measures adaptive behavior from Birth-90 20-90 minutes

Behavior Scales- Third birth to adulthood for the
Edition (Vineland-3) Interview Form,
20 minutes for
the Teacher
Form
 Test Purpose Ages Testing Time
Development and School Readiness Assessment Measures
Battelle Screens and evaluates early Birth-7:11 10-30 minutes
Developmental childhood developmental for the
Inventory-Second milestones in the following areas: screening test;
Edition (BDI-2) personal-social, adaptive, motor, 60-90 minutes
communication, and cognitive for the complete
ability 801-2
Bayley Scales for Assesses different aspects of a 1-42 months 10-15 minutes
Infant and Toddler young child's development in the
Development- Third following areas: cognitive, motor,
Edition (Bayley-1) language, social emotional, and
adaptive behavior

Bracken School Quickly screens concept 3:0-6:11 10-15 minutes

Readiness knowledge of young children
Assessment-Third
Edition (BSRA-3)
 Test Purpose Ages Testing Time

Developmental Identifies children with possible Birth 5-11 10-20 minutes

Assessment of Young delays in the following domains: for each domain
Children- Second cognition, communication, social-
Edition (DAYC-3) emotional development, physical
development, and adaptive
behavior
Development Profile-3 Screen a child for developmental Birth 12-11 20-40 minutes
(DP-3) delays in five key areas: physical,
adaptive behavior, social-
emotional, cognitive, and
communication
 Test Purpose Ages Testing Time
Riverside Early Addresses key areas of Birth 7-11 30 minutes
Assessments of development and includes content
Learning (REAL) tailored specifically for Head Start
(orientation to learning,
technology and engineering,
language and literacy, cognitive
and general knowledge, physical
development and health, and
social and emotional
development); IDEA Parts B and C
(academic, communication, motor,
cognitive, adaptive, and personal-
social), and Kindergarten
Readiness (approaches to learning,
cognitive and general knowledge,
language and literacy
development, physical
development and health, and
social and emotional
development)
 Test Purpose Ages Testing Time
Woodcock- Johnson IV Assesses early cognitive and 3-5; 6-9 for 35 minutes for
Tests of Early Cognitive academic development children with a the core battery;
and Academic cognitive or 15 minutes for
Development (ECAD) academic the extended
Academic developmental delay developmental battery
delay
 Test Purpose Ages Testing Time
Achievement Assessment Measures
Kaufmann Test of Includes the following subtests: 4:0-25:11 15-85 minutes
Educational Listening Comprehension, Oral
Achievement- Third Expression, Letter & Word
Edition (KTEA-3) Recognition, Reading
Comprehension, Silent Reading
Fluency, Reading Vocabulary,
Nonsense Word Decoding,
Phonological Processing,
Associational Fluency, Object
Naming Facility, Letter Naming
Facility, Word
Wechsler Individual Recognition Fluency, Decoding 4:0-50:11 Varies by grade
Achievement Test - Fluency, Written Expression, level and
Third Edition (WIAT-III) Spelling, Writing Fluency, Math number of
Concepts & Applications, Math subtests
Computation, and Math Fluency administered
 Test Purpose Ages Testing Time
Wide Range Includes the following subtests: 5-94 15-25 minutes
Achievement Test 4 Listening Comprehension, Early for ages 5-7; 35-
(WRAT4) Reading Skills, Reading 45 minutes for
Comprehension, Math Problem ages 8 and up
Solving, Alphabet Writing Fluency,
Sentence Composition, Word
Reading, Essay Composition,
Pseudoword Decoding, Numerical
Operations, Oral Expression, Oral
Reading Fluency, Spelling, Math
Fluency-Addition, Math Fluency-
Subtraction, and Math Fluency-
Multiplication
Woodcock- Johnson IV A quick measure of fundamental 2-90+ 30-60 minutes
Tests of Achievement, academic skills that includes the
Forms A and B (WJ IV following subtests: Math
ACH) Computation, Spelling, Sentence
Comprehension, and Word
Reading
 Test Purpose Ages Testing Time
Woodcock- Johnson IV Useful for oral 2-90+ 30-60 minutes
Tests of Oral Language language.assessment,
(WJ IV OL) determination of English (and
Spanish) language proficiency; and
includes the following subtest:
Picture Vocabulary, Oral
Comprehension, Segmentation,
Rapid Picture Naming, Sentence
Repetition, Understanding
Directions, Sound Blending,
Retrieval Fluency, Sound
Awareness, Vocabulario sobre
debujos, Comprehension oral, and
Comprehension de indicationes
Young Children's Assists in the early identification of 4:0-7:11 25-45 minutes
Achievement Test children at risk for school failure
(YCAT) and includes the following
subtests: General Information,
Reading, Writing, Mathematics,
and Spoken Language
 Effective General
Education with Early No
Intervening Services
1. Student has been exposed to the curriculum
for at least a year Child suspected of having a
Child suspected of disability
having a disability

Flowchart to Determine Eligibility for ID

2. Intervention strategies have been tried and
documented
3. Data have been collected and student:
Referral to Special a. Does not meet benchmark expectations
Education . B. Has received appropriate
instruction
Yes

Comprehensive evaluation to determine: Adaptive Behavior

Intellectual Functioning 1. Student's present levels of performance
a. Conceptual
a. Standardized measure of IQ 2. Whether the student has a disability.
3. Whether student needs specially b. Practical
b. Academic functioning
designed instruction c. Social

Yes
IQ score is valid and Have academic Student has
Student has significant
meets criteria present levels of impairment in significant
No No performance been intellectual impairment in
Composite score determined? functioning adaptive behavior
Valid but does.
not meet cut not valid (see
considerations) use No 1. Developmental onset by age 18
score criteria
part score 2. Student requires specially designed
Collect
Yes
instruction
academic data Yes No
Not Eligible for
Not No Student meets Eligible ID
Eligible part score criteria
Develop IEP to Consider eligibility
reflect FAPE in LRE for other