Chapter 8

1. Discuss the various stages of development and periods of growth as they relate to children with mental retardation.

Cognitive Development

• 4-years old-the child is less self-centered and more able to take into account another person’s point of view.
• Children began to conserve numbers around the age 7 years to conserve quantity (substance, amount of space needed occupied by the object) around ages 7 or 8 years, and to conserve weight around 9 years.

Learning Characteristics:

Memory

Self Regulation

Adaptive Skills

Motivation

2. How do the memory capabilities of children with mental retardation compare with those of nondisabled peers?

The greater the severity of intellectual deficit, the greater the deficits in memory.

3. Compare massed and distributed practice in relationship to the learning performance if children with mental retardation.

• Distributed practice in a learning situation enhances the learning performance of children with mental retardation more than it does for individuals without cognitive disabilities..
• Massed practice is like cramming for an examination and is not beneficial for the child with mental retardation.

4. Discuss several suggestions for working with children who have difficulty transferring learning from one situation to another.

1. Age seems to make a difference in the ability to generalize learning for all children- those with mental retardation and the nondisabled.  Younger children generalize learning with greater ease than older children.
2. The individual with mental retardation can generalize learning best when both the initial task and the new task are very similar.  Generalization is most effective if a considerable number of the operation involved in the first task can be performed as a unit in the new task.
3. Meaningfulness is extremely important to the person’s ability to generalize.  A more meaningful task is both easier to learn initially and easier to generalize to a second setting.

5. Identify examples of adaptive skills that children with mental retardation may need to learn during the school years.

• Coping with the demands of school
• Developing interpersonal relationships
• Developing language skills
• Developing emotionally
• Taking care of personal needs

6. What are the major provisions of the IDEA?

To focus on multidisciplinary and nonbiased assessment, a free and appropriate public education, and individualized education program, parental rights, and education in the least-restrictive environment.

7. Identify examples of both formal and natural supports that will facilitate the success of the child with mental retardation in an inclusive school setting.

Formal

• The availability of qualified general and special education teachers
• Access to paraprofessionals
• Appropriate multilevel instructional materials
• Technology  aids

Natural

• Students family
• Friends
• Classmates

8. Describe adaptive skill content areas that children with mental retardation may need to learn.

• Coping with the demands of school
• Developing Interpersonal Relationships
• Developing Language skills
• Developing emotionally
• Taking care of personal needs

9. Why is it important for students with mental retardation that school reform efforts concentrate more on school based issues that on a top-down approach to declining academic achievement.

Educational reform efforts that focus on individualization in the schools and the effectiveness of social inclusion will benefit students with mental retardation.