MODULE 5
Students with Mental Retardation
Learning Activities
Activity 1. Answer the following questions comprehensively.
a. Before you studied this module, what were your ideas about persons with mental
retardation? How did such preconceived ideas come about?
Persons with mental retardation are people who have marked as low
average level of cognitive ability, they are also have difficulties to adapt
ones environment. These persons or childrens are typically have
difficulties with communications, social and functional academic skills.
b. What skills can a child with profound mental retardation do?
A child with mental retardation can may be able to develop their
communication skills and basic self-care, of course a child with profound
mental retardation can do this with training and appropriate support.
c. How do you feel about being a person with a developmental disability?
I feel pitied about a person with a developmental disability because they
are having a hard time just like being frustrated, hopeless, guilty, depress
and even being embarrassed. They also have difficulties in showing or
letting others know about their feelings, wants and needs.
d. How can you take care of yourself so that you will continue to develop normally
and be a successful adult?
I will take care of myself so that I will be a successful adult through living
healthy, eat healthy foods, get enough sleep, manage stress, exercise,
avoid drugs and alcohol, practice a good hygiene because practicing a
good hygiene is important for social, medical, and psychological reasons in
that it’s not only reduces the risk of illness, but it also improves the way
others view you and how you view yourself.
Activity 2. Revisit virtually the SpEd schools nearest you and ask the following
questions to the SpEd teacher assigned to handle classes for mental retardation.
a. How many learners with mental retardation are enrolled in your school?
According to the teacher they have just a few students that has mental
retardation like 5.
b. What is the most common cause of mental retardation among your learners?
Their characteristics?
The most common cause of mental retardation is genetics or if the mother
doesn’t aware that she is pregnant then she’s taking medicine that can
harm to the baby.
c. What are the programs implemented to cater the children with mental
retardation in your school?
In their school the present program that is implemented is inclusive
education. So, the learners that is already good and okay and from us the
SpEd teachers we they are main streaming the learners to the regular
class that is also called inclusive education.
d. Are you also implementing inclusive education in your school? What are your
thoughts about the program?
According to the teacher she have handle the students with learning
disabilities that is main streamed, if the learners are already main stream
and the other adviser is having difficulty with teaching the child, the child
go back to them.
e. What are the different methods of inclusive utilized in teaching the children with
mental retardation in your class? Which of the methods of instruction is most
effective?
The most effective instruction to the learners is individualized instruction,
according to her it is really need to have an individual instruction then it is
also need that the children with learning disability is have at least one
mastery activity. They also prepared Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
as one their methods of instruction and Parent Teacher Guide (PTG) since
it is pandemic nowadays so their parent is also their teacher.
Evaluation
1. Test how much you have learned about mental retardation by answering the
following questions:
a. Explain the four elements in the 1992 AAMR definition of mental retardation.
Substantial limitations in present functioning- this means that the person
is having a hard time or difficulties in performing daily activities related to
taking a good care to their selves, doing simple tasks at home and the
works that are related to the other adaptive skills areas; includes
academic works.
Significantly sub-average intellectual functioning- means that the person
has below average intelligence, their intellectual functioning is a broad
summation of cognitive abilities, such as the capacity in learning, solving
problems, adapting new situations, and accumulating knowledge. Their
intelligence quotient score is approximately in the flexible lower range IQ
range 0-20 and upper IQ range of 70-75 based on the result of
assessment. The child find difficulties in learning skills in school that
children of his age are able to learn.
Limitations in the adaptive skills or behavior show in the quality of
everyday performance in coping with environmental demands- this means
that persons with mental retardation having difficulties in terms of
personal independence and social responsibility expected in their age and
cultural group. Their adaptive skills are assessed by means of
standardized adaptive behavior scales. The quality of general adaption is
mediated by the level of their intelligence.
Related limitations in the adaptive skills areas- this means that the person
has difficulty performing the following tasks:
1. Communication
2. Self-care
3. Home living
4. Community use
5. Social skills
6. Self-direction
7. Health and safety as maintaining own health.
8. Functional academics
9. Leisure such as recreational activity.
10. Work or employment
b. What makes a mental retardation a complex, rather than a simple
developmental disability?
Mental retardation is one of the most common developmental
disability. Mental retardation currently is defined by the American
Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) as “significantly sub-
average general intellectual functioning accompanied by significant
limitations in adaptive functioning in a least two of the following skills
areas: communication, self-care, social skills, self-direction, academic
skills, work, leisure, health and/or safety. These limitations manifest
themselves before 18 years of age.” While the Developmental
disabilities are a group of conditions due to an impairment in physical,
learning, language, or behavior areas. These conditions begin during
the developmental period, may impact day-to-day functioning, and
usually last throughout a person’s lifetime.
c. List the labels used in the past to describe children with mental retardation.
Why are these terms not used anymore today?
The labels used in the past to described children with mental
retardation are; mentally defective, mentally deficient, feebleminant,
moron, imbecile and idiot. These terms are not used today because
almost all of the association and agencies use the IQ score as only one
criterion.
d. What are the classifications of mental retardation? In what ways are they
different from each other?
In the previous AAMR classification system, there are four levels that
are still widely used today; mild mental retardation with IQ scores from
55 to 70, moderate mental retardation with IQ scores from 40-54,
severe mental retardation with IQ scores from 25 to 39, profound
mental retardation with IQ scores below 25.
The AAMR has introduced a new system classification the four
categories of mental retardation according to the intensity of needed
support are; intermittent supports are on the person needs help only
at certain periods of time and not all the time, limited supports are
required consistently, though not on a daily basis. The support needed
is of a non-intensive nature, extensive supports are needed on a
regular basis daily supports are required in some environments, and
pervasive supports are daily extensive support, perhaps of a life-
sustaining nature required in multiple environments.
They are different from each because they are classified in different
ways.
e. Enumerate and describe the causes of mental retardation.
Mental retardation has more than 250 identified causes, the AAMR
classifies the causes based on time of onset, categorized as;
Prenatal causes are chromosomal disorders such as trisomy 21
or Down syndrome- this is caused by chromosomal
abnormality, the most common is trisomy 21 in which the 21 st
set of chromosomes is triplet rather than a pair, Klinefelter
syndrome- the male receives extra X chromosome and the
underdevelopment of male sex organs and the acquisition of
secondary sex characteristics are common and the male with
XXY chromosomes instead of the normal XY often have
problems with social skills, auditory perception, language,
sometimes mild levels cognitive retardation. And the Fragile X
syndrome is a triplet or a repeat mutation on the X
chromosome interfere with the production of FMR-1 protein
which is essential for normal brain functioning. Then the
Prader-Willi syndrome is a syndrome disorder caused by the
deletion of a portion of chromosomes 15 and initially the
infants have hypertonia or floppy muscles and may tube-fed.
Phenylketonuria and William syndrome. These causes originate
during conception or pregnancy before birth.
Perinatal causes includes intrauterine disorders such as
maternal anemia, premature delivery, abnormal presentation,
umbilical cord accidents and multiple gestation in he case of
twins or triplets. And Neonatal disorders such as intracranial
hemorrhage, neonatal seizures, respiratory disorders,
meningitis, and encephalitis and head trauma at birth.
Environmental causes includes maternal malnutrition,
irradiation during pregnancy, juvenile diabetes mellitus and
fetal alcohol syndrome or FAS.
Postnatal causes includes head injuries, infection,
demyelinating disorders, degenerative disorders, seizure
disorders, malnutrition, environmental deprivation and
hypoconnection syndrome.
f. What are the common characteristics of persons with mental retardation?
Explain why they manifest these characteristics?
Persons with mental retardation manifest substantial limitations in age-
appropriate intellectual and adaptive behavior. There are deficits in
cognitive functioning that are associated with poor memory, slow
learning rates, attention problems, difficulty in generalizing what has
been learned and lack of motivation. Many individuals with mental
retardation are able to acquire the skills for adaptive behavior, but a
larger number not able to do so throughout their life span.
g. What assessment procedures are used in the Philippines to identify children
and youth with mental retardation?
In the Philippines where the educational system hardly provides for
clinicians like school psychologists or psychometricians, initial
assessment is done by the classroom teacher in order to identify who
among the regular students are in need of special education. The
initial assessment is done through teacher nomination and for school-
age children, teachers are an important source of information about
their learning and behavior attributes. A checklist of the learning
behavior characteristics in the checklist, then the final assessment
follows. The guidance counselor or special education teacher
administer the appropriate assessment tools developed by the Special
Education Division of the Bureau of Elementary Education of the
Department of Education.
h. Enumerate the types of educational placement for students with mental
retardation. Describe each.
Many kinds of educational placements for students who have mental
retardation: (a) Specialized, segregated school solely for SMR and/or
students who have other disabilities; (b) Specialized, segregated
classes for SMR located within regular public (government) or private
schools; (c) Special rooms in a regular school to which SMR can go for
a portion of the day while remaining in a regular classroom the rest of
the time; (d) Full-time placement in regular education settings; (e)
Individual tutoring, private or public; and (f) Combinations of these
and any other settings, e.g., part-time placement in a community work
setting plus attending a specialized class for SMR.
i. Do you favor inclusive education for students with disabilities? Explain your
stand on the issue.
Yes, I am in favor of inclusive education for those students with
disabilities because it is for the students to ensure to access quality
education for all the students with learning disabilities by effectively
meeting their diverse needs in a way that is responsive, accepting,
respectful and supportive. Students participate in the education
program in a common learning environment with support to diminish
and remove barriers and obstacles that may lead to exclusion.
j. What strategies are used in teaching students with mental retardation?
Teaching children with mental retardation requires explicit and
systematic instruction. One method of teaching is the Applied Behavior
Analysis (ABA) which is derived from the theory and principles of
behavior modification and the effect of the environment of
the ;earning process.
