Defining intellectual disability: degrees and diagnostic criteria

¶ … SPECIAL EDUCATION & EARLY CHILDHOOD

Special Education

Tasks in Special Education and Early Childhood

Defining Intellectual Disability and Degrees Thereof

Language is a powerful tool or a powerful weapon. The language used to described non-normative populations is often accompanied by a vigorous and often difficult discussion regarding what kinds of words are academically, professionally, and medically describing abnormal populations. One such term with an interesting history is the term "mental retardation." Within the recent years of the 21st century, there has been a shift away from the term mental retardation and more toward the phrase intellectual disability. The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) has been an influential party with respect to this linguistic, conceptual, and social shift. Dunlap (2009) elaborates upon the definition of mental retardation that the AAIDD proposes, stating that it is "a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills."

This is use and definition of the term mental retardation is acceptable to this author. Mental retardation is an accurate term when considering the etymology of the individual words that compose this phrase. Schalock et al. explain:

The noun retardation refers to the act of retarding. Retard is a verb meaning to slow down or delay…Only later did the term retarded shift from referring to the event or circumstance of not progressing from one grade to the next to referring to the student or person who was mentally slow and not progressing. Mental retardation was a term meaning, literally, mental slowness, and it was used to name an underlying construct or idea in which defects of the mind resulted in performance limitations characterized by mental slowness. (Schalock et al., 2008,-Page 313)

Therefore, when referring to a person who displays developmental delays as a result of mental slowness or low level of mental capacity, mental retardation is one of several appropriate terms. I think the problem with the term has more to do with the social and cultural realities in which many people live. Retard and retardation are now words that a part of the common vernacular, particularly in western and highly industrialized societies such as the one found in the United States. People have used, misused, and abused the words retard and retardation so much to the point that the medical and academic communities are now nervous, sensitive, and hyper-aware that perhaps the phrase mental retardation is not somehow nice. I have professional experience working with children and adolescents that are classified as disabled or with special needs. Mental retardation is a technical term, that in my experience was used appropriately and never in a pejorative manner.

The shift to the term intellectual disability is not without merit, though. There are a number of conditions, mental retardation notwithstanding, that are and should be classified as intellectual disabilities. Therefore, I am not in opposition of the existence of the category of intellectual disability. Mental retardation may rightfully be placed in such a category, but to use the term intellectual disability instead of mental retardation, I think is excessive and has other implications that theorists, researchers, and experts have not considered in the lives of those who are affected directly by this linguistic reclassification of nomenclauture. Schalock et al. continue:

Significant consequences can result from the way a term is defined. As discussed by Gross and Hahn (2004), Luckasson and Reeve (2001), and Stowe, Turnbull, and Sublet (2006), a definition can make someone (a) eligible or ineligible for services; (b) subjected to something or not subjected to it (e.g., involuntary commitment); (c) exempted from something or not exempted (e.g., from the death penalty); (d) included or not included (as to protections against discrimination and equal opportunity); and/or (e) entitled or not entitled (e.g., as to Social Security benefits). (Schalock et al., 2007,-Page 118)

Thus there are many considerations to be made when shifting terms and nomenclature for a specific population. The change cannot be done for poor reasons or recklessly. These are reasons why using a combination of assessments, including IQ tests and testing adaptive skills as well as other methods should be included in the diagnoses of people with intellectual disabilities, including mental retardation.

Task 2: Early Intervention Approaches/Strategies

An activity I would choose to carry out with a pre-school child is painting with materials such as a large canvas, paintbrushes, an easel, and a palette. While art is an activity that children at any intellectual level may participate in, a child with intellectual disabilities may experience some difficulties with this activity. A child with intellectual disabilities may prove to be unusually creative as far as the approach to painting. For example the child may want to use his/her hands or other objects to dip into the paint instead of the paintbrushes. Though this falls outside of the normative activity, the impulse demonstrates that the child understands the point of the activity and is engaging the parts of the brain and the corresponding forms of intelligence as part of creation. Depending on the details and degree of the intellectual disability, the child may need assistance holding the materials or manipulating them as they desire.

Painting is usually perceived as fun by most children as it is an opportunity to get messy and to experience colors in new ways. A child with intellectual disabilities may have to be monitored regarding consumption of paint or chewing on other materials, as some children in this population experience PICA. Yet again, fine arts are often an enjoyable experience for normative and disabled students alike, offering them a different method of expression that may be less pressure than normative forms of communication such as speaking, reading, and writing.