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A child with an intellectual disability can do well in school but is likely to need individualized help. Fortunately, states are responsible for meeting the educational needs of children with disabilities. For children up to age three, services are provided through an early intervention system. Staff work with the child’s family to develop what is known as an Individualized
Early intervention services may be provided on a sliding-fee basis, meaning that the costs to the family will depend upon their income. In some states, early intervention services may be at no cost to parents.
For eligible school-aged children (including preschoolers), special education and related services are made available through the school system. School staff will work with the child’s parents to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP is similar to an IFSP. It describes the child’s unique needs and the services that have been designed to meet those needs. Special education and related services are provided at no cost to parents.
A child with an intellectual disability can do well in school but is likely to need the individualized help that’s available as special education and related services. The level of help and support that’s needed will depend upon the degree of intellectual disability involved.
General education: It’s important that students with intellectual disabilities be involved in, and make progress in, the general education curriculum. That’s the same curriculum that’s learned by those without disabilities. Be aware that IDEA does not permit a student to be removed from education in age-appropriate general education classrooms solely because he or she needs modifications to be made in the general education curriculum.
Supplementary aids and services: Given that intellectual disabilities affect learning, it’s often crucial to provide supports to students with ID in the classroom. This includes making accommodations appropriate to the needs of the student. Supplementary aids and services are supports that may include instruction, personnel, equipment, or other accommodations that enable children with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled children to the maximum extent appropriate.
Thus, for families and teachers alike, it’s important to know what changes and accommodations are helpful to students with intellectual disabilities. These need to be discussed by the IEP team and included in the IEP, if appropriate.
Adaptive skills: Many children with intellectual disabilities need help with adaptive skills, which are skills needed to live, work and play in the community. Teachers and parents can help a child work on these skills at both school and home. Some of these skills include:
- communicating with others
- taking care of personal needs (dressing, bathing, going to the bathroom)
- health and safety
- home living (helping to set the table, cleaning the house, or cooking dinner);
- social skills (manners, knowing the rules of conversation, getting along in a group, playing a game)
- reading, writing, and basic math; and
- as they get older, skills that will help them in the workplace.
Transition planning: It’s extremely important for families and schools to begin planning early for the student’s transition into the world of adulthood. Because intellectual disability affects how quickly and how well an individual learns new information and skills, the sooner transition planning begins, the more can be accomplished before the student leaves secondary school.
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