Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Federal Definition-
Significantly sub average general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in
adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a childs
educational performance (Friend, 2014, p.252).

Prenatal Causes
Down Syndrome or also sometimes called trisomy 21 due to the third chromosome in the 21st pair.
Mild or moderate disabilities are often found with students who have down syndrome (Friend, 2014,
p. 253-254).
Fragile X Syndrome also known as Martin- Bell syndrome is caused by a mutation in the X
chromosome meaning that mothers are the only ones who can pass it to their children. Students with
Fragile X Syndrome tend to show signs of ADHD (Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder) meaning
that they might easily be distracted. Students with Fragile X Syndrome may also show symptoms of
Autism such as repeating themselves (Friend, 2014, p. 254).
Prader- Willi Syndrome is caused by the mother giving the child both of their chromosome 15s
because of the child not receiving one from their father. These students who have Prader- Willi
Syndrome will compulsively eat once they reach ages 2-4 which often causes obesity in these
children (Friend, 2014, p. 254-255).
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is caused by mothers who consume alcohol while they are
pregnant with their child. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can but not always, causes intellectual disabilities.
Students with FAS tend to take longer to develop than typical students of their age as well as shorter
attention spans (Friend, 2014, p. 255).
Phenylketonuria is caused by a recessive gene meaning that the students would have received the
gene from both their mother and father. Phenylketonuria is when the body is unable to break down
an amino acid that is found in high protein foods. Once the disorder is detected, treatment can begin
which involves the student staying away from a diet with high protein foods (Friend, 2014, p. 255-
256).
Toxoplasmosis is cause by a parasite which sources an infection and can cause intellectual
disabilities. The parasite is passed through fecal matter of cats and if a mother obtains it while she is
pregnant she is at risk of passing on the illness to her fetus (Friend, 2014, p. 256).

Perinatal Causes
These are rare cases where something may have occurred during or immediately after the time of
birth (Friend, 2014, p. 256).

Postnatal Causes
Encephalitis is caused by an infection to the brain and results in inflammation and in some cases, it
can cause a child to develop intellectual disabilities (Friend, 2014, p. 256).
Lead Poisoning is caused due to over exposure of lead and can cause intellectual disabilities. Good
news is that it can be prevented by keeping children away from areas contaminated by lead (Friend,
2014, p. 256).
Brain Injury can be caused by many events that may cause the brain to be injured which can leave
a child with intellectual disabilities. Some of these events include something as simple as a child
bumping their head from jumping on a couch to child abuse. Not every case results in a child
developing intellectual disabilities but some do (Friend, 2014, p. 256).

Cognitive and Academic Characteristics

If a students IQ score is below 70 they are then classified as having Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities (IDD). This is because an IQ score of 70 or less places them two deviations under the
average score of 100 (Friend, 2014, p. 257).
Mild intellectual disabilities IQ 5 5569
Moderate intellectual disabilities IQ 5 4054
Severe intellectual disabilities IQ 5 2539
Profound intellectual disabilities IQ 5 below 25 (Friend, 2014, p. 257).
Students that have cognitive disabilities tend to struggle with memory, motivation, academic skills,
etc (Friend, 2014, p. 258-260).
Memory- students with intellectual disabilities tend to lose track of what they are supposed to, be
doing because they struggle with working (Friend, 2014, p. 258).
Generalization- Students with intellectual disabilities tend to struggle with using information that
they learn in other areas (Friend, 2014, p. 258).
Metacognition- Students with intellectual disabilities have a hard time with metacognition which is
thinking about thinking (Friend, 2014, p. 259).
Motivation- Students with intellectual disabilities struggle with self-motivation and learn
helplessness which is them thinking that they cannot do it so why bother (Friend, 2014, p. 259).
Language- For students with intellectual disabilities, it hard for them to understand concepts of
language (Friend, 2014, p. 260).
Academic skills- Students with cognitive disabilities are often having to work much harder than
students without cognitive disabilities. They also have slower processing speeds meaning that it
takes them longer to process new information (Friend, 2014, p. 260).

Social and Emotional Characteristics

Students with intellectual disabilities struggle with social situations such as maintaining friendships.
This could be sure to many reasons such as the possibility that students with intellectual disabilities
might not be as mature as their typical peers (Friend, 2014, p. 260). It is also recently found that
students with disabilities often experience loneliness (Friend, 2014, p. 263).

Behavioral Characteristics
Sometimes behavioral characteristics can be the result of a certain cause for the intellectual
disability such as the Prader- Willi syndrome and the tendency for compulsive eating (Friend, 2014, p.
262). Students with intellectual disabilities struggle with adaptive behavior such as communication,
social skills, self- direction, health, work, self-care, leisure, living on your own, community use and
functional academics(Friend, 2014, p. 261). These things that most of us do on a day to day basis
without even thinking about it are more difficult for those with intellectual disabilities.

Recommended Educational Practices

Task Analysis- This is a type of educational practice that involves very outlined nd easy to follow
instructions for tasks to allow students with intellectual disabilities to easily follow instructions and
directions (Friend, 2014, p. 272).
Peer- Mediated Instruction- This is when students with intellectual disabilities are paired up in
groups or partners and are taught by their peers. They are expected to motivate and help each other
reach their goals in learning (Friend, 2014, p. 272).

Additional Resources
PKU.com
This website gives information on Phenylketonuria, as well as support for those who have
Phenylketonuria. There is also a place where you can find personalized recipes.
http://www.ndss.org/Down-Syndrome/What-Is-Down-Syndrome/
On this website, parents can find information about down syndrome and different resources that are
available. There are resources for expecting parents as well as local support and education for your
child. There is even a section on the website that has information for when your child is out of school.
https://www.nofas.org/resources/
The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome offers resources to those who are living with it.
It also offers tools for parents of children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and for those mothers who are
excepting and thinking about drinking.

Resource
Friend, Marilyn. (2014). Special Education: contemporary perspectives for school
professionals. 4th Edition. Pearson Publishing.