SPED Assessment In 2002 the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) made changes to their manuals regarding the assessment of mental retardation (MR). The revisions were designed to affect changes in professional practice regarding assessment of MR, public policy, and the science and understanding of MR. Key in this change was the attempted change from the MR term to a more politically correct term Intellectual Disability. Assessment was to consider both IQ scores and adaptive behavior (AB) which was to be termed "adaptive skills as well as the individual's cultural background and in the context of associated strengths. Instead of following a deficit model of explanation the goal was to follow a needs model. The definition of intellectual disability then includes three core criteria: significant impairment of intellectual functioning (defined by decreased IQ scores), significant impairment of adaptive/social functioning and, onset before adulthood. Polloway et al. (2009) looked at the impact of these changes on state guidelines for the assessment and treatment of MR. Interestingly, 27 states still formally used the MR term in their guidelines/definitions with only four using the recommended term. Most states still adopted older formal definitions on MR. With respect to IQ scores, the topic of this paper, only 12 states reported no specific IQ cutoff score was needed for the diagnosis, whereas those reporting a specific IQ score typically used the 70 or 70-75 cutoff score either by formal definition or maintaining a score of two standard deviations below the mean was the cutoff score. Forty-nine states required deficits in AB. Age guidelines and an classification system (e.g., designating mild MR, moderate MR, etc.) were variably employed. Polloway et al. (2009) pretty much leave the IQ assessment issue alone, suggesting that it is a cornerstone...
And here is where this study, although primarily descriptive in nature, totally misses the point. In fact IQ scores as a method of assessing MR have severe limitations and certainly warrant more attention regarding the accurate assessment of MR than whether a state terms the condition MR, cognitive impairment, or intellectual disability.
"By the 1980s, the field had moved to a functional skills model. As the evidence for this approach mounted, the field refocused on age appropriate skills and knowledge performed in authentic settings and the functional life skills curriculum became best practice. The functional, age-appropriate curricular focus resulted in these students demonstrating skills and knowledge not thought possible earlier" (Quenemoen, 2008). In the 1990s, added significant new practices were acknowledged as
Thus, efforts aimed at helping teachers to avoid harmful stereotyping of students often begin with activities designed to raise teachers' awareness of their unconscious biases." (1989) Cotton goes on the relate that there are specific ways in which differential expectations are communicated to students according to the work of: "Brookover, et al. (1982); Brophy (1983); Brophy and Evertson (1976); Brophy and Good (1970); Cooper and Good (1983); Cooper and
In the past, students with disabilities tended to be isolated from their peers by Special Education paradigms that obliged them to receive learning in a physically isolated setting. Far from helping these children to achieve their full potential, such setups tended to stigmatize them, making, making it even more difficult to look beyond their ability for their own identity and how this could be applied for the benefit of society
The IEP takes into account the results of the assessment while developing a plan for the future. The evaluation results include not only behavioral observations but also socio-cultural background. If the student has a physical disability, the IEP might address the need for specialized technologies or classroom adaptations. On the other hand, if the student has a learning disability, the IEP might include recommendations for lesson adaptation. The IEP is
Special Education According to the Federal Laws of the United States of America, "Special Education means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability [IDEA 97-300.26(a)]." The revised statutes of Arizona defines a child with disability as "a child who is at least three but less than twenty-two years of age, who has been evaluated and found to have
Then students use AlphaSmart software to paste the picture and explain in a paragraph why, how and where in the plot they feel that picture relates to the story. This tests three things: (a) student concentration; (b) student level of understanding of the general plot; and - student imagination. This is an important implementation because it opens the students' horizons and allows them to see the general links and
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