Multiple Choice
1. The 1992 AAIDD definition of intellectual disabilities portrays intellectual disability as a
relationship between the
A) Level of support needed for an individual to participate to his or her maximum
potential and the intelligence of the individual
B) Individual’s intellectual functioning, language functioning, and motor functioning
C) Individual’s IQ, the individual’s adaptive behavior functioning, and the environment
D) Individual, the environment, and the type of support needed for maximum
functioning
2. Individuals with mild intellectual disabilities have an IQ between
A) 30 and 40
B) 50 and 60
C) 50 and 70
D) 75 and 90
3. Which of the following is not considered a common characteristic of persons with
intellectual disabilities?
A) Inability to learn
B) Inability to believe in their ability to solve problems
C) Deficits in attention
D) Deficits in memory
4. The most common method used for assessing an individual’s cognitive ability is through
the use of a(n)
A) Adaptive behavior assessment
B) Intelligence or IQ test
C) Direct observation assessment
D) Achievement test
5. According to the 1992 AAIDD definition, intellectual disability manifests prior to what
age?
A) 5 years
B) 12 years
C) 18 years
D) 21 years
6. How many standard deviations below the mean are the IQs of persons classified with
profound intellectual disabilities?
A) 2 to 3
B) 3 to 4
C) 4 to 5
D) More than 5
7. According to the 1992 AAIDD definition of intellectual disability, persons are classified
based on the level of support they need to effectively function in various settings. Select the
response that lists the levels of support in order from the least amount of support to the
most amount of support.
A) Limited, intermittent, extensive, pervasive
B) Intermittent, limited, extensive, pervasive
C) Limited, intermittent, pervasive, extensive
D) Intermittent, limited, pervasive, extensive
8. Séguin is considered an important figure in the history of special education because he
A) Established the first school for persons with intellectual disabilities in the United
States
B) Developed one of the early models for describing stages of learning
C) Was the first person to demonstrate that an individual with intellectual disabilities
could learn
D) Helped establish residential facilities for persons with intellectual disabilities in the
United States
9. What percentage of the school-age population, aged 6 to 21 years, is identified as having
intellectual disabilities?
A) Approximately 1%
B) Approximately 2%
C) Approximately 3%
D) Approximately 5%
10. In approximately what percentage of the cases can the cause of intellectual disabilities be
determined?
A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 50%
D) 60%
11. Considering causes of intellectual disabilities, cytomegalovirus would be categorized as
what type of cause?
A) Postnatal
B) Pronatal
C) Prenatal
D) Perinatal
12. An 8-year-old girl living in the United States who is able to dress herself, brush her own
teeth, make a peanut butter sandwich, and do her homework is demonstrating competence
in
A) Metabolic processes
B) Adaptive behavior
C) Social skills
D) Intellectual functioning
13. The most recent strategy used for classifying individuals with intellectual disabilities by
the AAIDD was to classify on the basis of
A) Intellectual functioning
B) Severity of intellectual disabilities
C) Cause of the disability
D) Levels of support
14. A professional working with an adult with intellectual disabilities helps the adult move out
of an institution and into a supported living environment, to dress in clothing that is
currently in fashion for persons of similar age, to obtain employment, and to pursue
meaningful friendships. This professional is using
A) The principle of normalization
B) A task analysis approach
C) The concept of mainstreaming
D) Natural supports
15. Intellectual disability is possibly caused by the maternal infection(s) of
A) HIV (AIDS)
B) Influenza
C) Rubella
D) A and C
16. A child is born at 36 weeks of gestation and weighs 5 lbs. after an otherwise normal
pregnancy. Later in life, this child is classified as developmentally disabled. What are the
likely factors that contributed to the child’s disability?
A) Prenatal factors
B) Chromosomal factors
C) Postnatal factors
D) Perinatal factors
17. Which of the following statements is not true about Down syndrome?
A) It has been linked to a chromosomal abnormality.
B) It predominately affects males.
C) There is a link between maternal age and Down syndrome.
D) It most often results in individuals with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.
18. Three levels of prevention of intellectual disabilities have been identified. An example of a
secondary prevention is
A) Screenings of newborns for phenylketonuria (PKU)
B) Early intervention programs
C) Amniocentesis
D) Prenatal care
19. Persons with intellectual disabilities often experience difficulty with academic
performance. The weakest area is most often
A) Science concepts
B) Memory
C) Arithmetic
D) Reading comprehension
20. A teacher is working to teach a student with intellectual disability new skills. Given the
student’s functioning level, the teacher anticipates the student should not have difficulty
learning the new skills. However, during class, the student often puts his head down and
says, “I can’t” and “I need help,” refusing to attempt the skills on his own. This student may
be showing signs of
A) Learned helplessness
B) Deficits in attention
C) A plateau in development
D) A delay in development
21. What is generalization?
A) Performing similar skills as those performed by same-age peers
B) Performing an acquired skill after a period of time has passed
C) Performing an acquired skill in novel situations
D) Acquiring a new skill
22. Teachers should pay special attention to the social and behavioral development of their
students because
A) There is a strong correlation between social adequacy and intelligence.
B) Being socially adept is important for success across environments.
C) Students with social inadequacies often develop violent behaviors.
D) Students with behaviors that are socially inappropriate should be separated from
their peers.
23. The most recent data on educational placement for students with intellectual disabilities
indicate that the most common placement is in
A) Inclusive general education classrooms
B) Resource rooms
C) Self-contained, separate schools
D) Self-contained, separate classrooms
24. Which of the following is an example of a skill that may be taught in a functional
curriculum?
A) Reading a science textbook
B) Reciting poetry
C) Riding the bus to a shopping location
D) Performing math algorithms in a workbook
25. Mr. Mendoza is teaching Luis to eat with a fork. He identifies these skills to teach: stab the
food with the fork, raise the fork to the mouth, insert the food in the mouth, remove the fork
from the mouth, chew and swallow the food, and repeat the process. This is an example of
A) Providing training across multiple contexts
B) Generalization
C) Teaching in simulation
D) A task analysis
26. Which of the following is not a characteristic of cooperative learning?
A) Used with heterogeneous groups
B) Encourages healthy competition among students
C) Rewards are based on group performance
D) Each pupil contributes to the assignment
27. A teacher who provides the supports a student needs to learn a new skill and then gradually
removes the supports as the student becomes more proficient at the task is using
A) Cooperative learning
B) Task analysis
C) Scaffolding
D) A functional curriculum
28. Family-centered services are most often associated with
A) Transition programs
B) Elementary programs
C) Special education services
D) Early intervention programs
29. A student with intellectual disabilities “reads” an online newspaper each morning by using
software that speaks the words aloud. What type of assistive technology is the student
using?
A) Text-to-speech software
B) Dedicated communication device
C) Voice recognition software
D) Instructional technology
30. A person with intellectual disabilities receives a Social Security payment each month
because of his or her disability. What type of support is this considered?
A) Programmatic support
B) Formal support
C) Intermediate support
D) Natural support
31. Which descriptive words can be used to describe how the term mental retardation is
generally viewed in our society?
A) Stereotyped and misunderstood
B) Valued and appreciated
C) Helpful and regarded
D) Interesting and intriguing
32. The forerunner to the AAIDD, originally called the Association of Medical Officers of
American Institutions for Idiotic and Feeble-Minded Persons, was founded in which year?
A) 1912
B) 1976
C) 1876
D) 1895
33. Which two criteria are used to determine whether a child has an intellectual disability?
A) Intellectual functioning and attention behaviors
B) Adaptive behavior and behavioral issues
C) Intellectual behavior and adaptive behavior
D) IQ scores and grades
34. Which of the following is not an IQ test cited in the text?
A) Wechsler Intelligence Scale
B) Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale
C) Kaufman Assessment Battery
D) Maynard-Dexter Intelligence Scale
35. Which of the following is a valid concern for IQ testing?
A) Predictability of school performance
B) Stability of IQ
C) Progressive thinking
D) Moral preparedness
36. All of the following are examples of 2002 AAIDD Adaptive Skills Areas except
A) Conceptual
B) Practical
C) Social
D) Morality
37. All of the following are types of natural support except
A) Social Security
B) Friends
C) Family
D) Teachers
38. The father of special education is considered to be
A) Jean Marc Gaspard Itard
B) Édouard Séguin
C) Howard Gardner
D) King Henry II
39. What percentage of children receiving a special education is classified intellectually
disabled?
A) 5%
B) 9.2%
C) 7.4%
D) 20%
40. What is the most common type of Down syndrome?
A) Anencephaly 12
B) Turner syndrome
C) China syndrome
D) Trisomy 21
41. The belief that consequences and outcomes of behaviors are the result of circumstances
and events beyond personal control is an example of
A) External locus of control
B) Learned helplessness
C) Outer directedness
D) Acknowledging one’s own limitations
42. The use of ____________ provides a tool that can greatly expand students with disabilities’
access to the general education curriculum.
A) Independent practice
B) Normalization
C) Technology
D) Formal supports
43. ____________ is a statistic that explains how far a particular score varies from the average.
A) An IQ
B) The mean
C) Standard deviation
D) Standard score
44. Parents who have children with the metabolic disorder of _________ can greatly reduce
developmental delays if they discover the condition early and place their children on a
milk-free diet.
A) PKU
B) Galactosemia
C) Cytomegalovirus
D) Toxoplasmosis
45. Students who experience repeated academic failures may develop a style of learning
known as ____________ in which they do not trust their own abilities and rely on others
for help.
A) Externalism
B) Motivation
C) Outer directedness
D) Locus of direction
46. Persons with disabilities who speak out on issues of importance to them are practicing
_______.
A) Self-determination
B) Self-advocacy
C) Self-monitoring
D) Self-realization
47. Which of the following is not a recommended teaching and learning adaptation designed to
improve learning outcomes for students with intellectual disability?
A) Ensure attention to relevant task demands
B) Teach ways to learn content while teaching content itself
C) Provide training that crosses multiple learning and environmental contexts
D) Provide multiple drills in skill development