Common Traits
- IQ below 70 to 75
- Deficits in "adaptive behavior"
- Lack of skills necessary for daily living
The federal government enacted legislation changing the term mental retardation to intellectual disabilities in 2012.
Indicators
- Lack of or slow development of motor skills, language skills, and self-help skills, especially when compared to peers
- Failure to grow intellectually or continued infant-like behavior
- Lack of curiosity
- Problems keeping up in school
- Failure to adapt (adjust to new situations)
- Difficulty understanding and following social rules
- Trouble comprehending accepted social behaviors and/or understanding the consequences to actions
Accommodations change how a student learns the material. A modification changes what a student is taught or expected to learn.
Accommodation Examples
- Learning content from audio-books, movies, videos, and digital media instead of printed versions
- Record a lesson instead of taking notes
- Use a calculator or a math facts table
- Seating a student where he/she learns best
Modification Examples
- Complete fewer or different homework problems than peers
- Learn different material (like continuing on a certain subject while the other students move on)
- Be graded or assessed using different standard than those for the others
Further Reading
- https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/common-modifications-and-accommodations
- https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001523.htm
- http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/intellectual/
- http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/intellectual_disability
