CHAPTER 8
CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH MILD MENTAL RETARDATION
Chapter Outline
I. Characteristics of Milder Retardation
II. Demographic Characteristics
A. Gender
B. Ethnicity
C. Socioeconomic and Family Patterns
III. Motivational and Sociobehavioral Characteristics
A. Motivational
1. Locus of control
2. Expectancy of failure
IV. Learning Characteristics
A. Cognitive Development
1. Quantitative versus qualitative perspectives
2. Cognitive-developmental theory
B. Processes Involved in Learning
C. Observational Learning
V. Speech and Language Characteristics
VI. Physical Health Characteristics
A. Selected Conditions
1. Down syndrome
2. Cerebral palsy
B. General Health Considerations
1. Nutrition
2. Illness and disease
3. Accidents and injury
4. Physical activity
VII. Educational Characteristics
A. Programmatic Realities
VIII. Summary
Key Terms
educable mental retardation (EMR)
grouping
learned helplessness
locus of control
Chapter Objectives
Upon completion of this chapter the student will be able to:
1. discuss the general descriptors and caveats that apply to this group.
2. identify the demographic characteristics that describe this group.
Suggested Activities
1. Invite a parent of someone with mild intellectual disabilities to the classroom to speak of
some of the problems his or her child has encountered due to cognitive and adaptive
limitations.
2. Have the class view a videotape of an individual with mild intellectual disabilities who
has an additional diagnosis, such as cerebral palsy. In addition, have them view a tape of
someone with severe intellectual disabilities that has the same dual diagnosis as the
individual observed with mild intellectual disabilities. Then have them discuss the
functional differences among the individuals.
Evaluation Questions
Multiple Choice
1. The term _____ historically has been used to convey the nature of one’s personal
independence and social responsibility.
A. daily living skills
B. adaptive behavior
C. intelligence
D. independent living
2. Generally _____ of the population of persons with intellectual disabilities are reported
to have mild intellectual disabilities.
A. 85 %
B. 75 %
C. 65 %
D. 55 %
3. Milder forms of intellectual disabilities often have not been suspected until the child
A. reaches puberty
B. is at least 6 months old
C. enters school
D. exhibits health problems
4. There is no disproportionate representation of racial, ethnic, and minority groups or low
socioeconomic status families among individuals with
A. mental retardation.
B. mild mental retardation.
C. severe mental retardation.
D. high incidence disabilities.
5. _____ refers to how one perceives the consequences of one’s behavior.
A. locus of control
B. perception
C. observation
D. expectancy
6. Those who see positive and negative events as primarily controlled by such outside forces as
fate, chance, or other people
A. have an internal locus of control.
B. have an external locus of control.
C. are internally motivated.
D. are externally motivated.
7. Which of the following is the most debilitating orientation for a child?
A. high failure expectancy
B. outerdirectedness
C. internal locus of control
D. external locus of control
8. _____ allows individuals the opportunity to express preferences, make choices, take risks,
assume responsibility, and exert control over their personal circumstances.
A. locus of control
B. grouping
C. self-determination
D. positive energy
9. John is an eight year-old child with Down syndrome. He is currently attending regular
classes, but consistently scores below the other children on spelling tests. Because his efforts
at studying have not produced desired outcome, John has stopped studying. This
phenomenon is known as
A. selective attention
B. fear of failure
C. negative outcome
D. learned helplessness
10. The one detrimental recurring factor for the motivational orientations of locus of
control, expectancy for failure, and outerdirectedness is
A. repeated failures.
B. parental verbal abuse.
C. negative teacher expectations.
D. negative attitudes from peers.
11. Lovell and Reiss (1993) found a higher incidence of _______ and _______ disorders in
individuals with moderate mental retardation.
A. mood and metabolic
B. physical and behavioral
C. behavioral and psychiatric
D. metabolic and psychiatric
12. Better social, motivational, and behavioral adjustment is likely to be related to better
A. health
B. academic functioning
C. both a & b
D. none of the above
13. Sybil is a seven year-old with mild intellectual disabilities who has a twin sister of
average intellectual functioning. Both sisters progressed through developmental
milestones in the same sequence. However, Sybil reached levels at a slower rate and
a lower level of functioning than her twin sister. This is known as
A. quantitative perspective
B. qualitative perspective
C. cognitive-developmental theory
D. process learning
14. The original tenets of cognitive-developmental theory were formulated by
A. Erickson
B. Bandura
C. Piaget
D. Jung
15. Nadia is a two year-old who is beginning to become aware of her surroundings. She
is also able to distinguish differences between herself and others. Nadia is in the
______ stage of development.
A. sensorimotor
B. preoperational
C. concrete operations
D. formal operations
16. Individuals who have mild intellectual disabilities typically reach as high as the _____
level of development.
A. sensorimotor
B. preoperational
C. concrete operations
D. formal operations
17. Children with severe forms of intellectual disabilities typically remain at the
A. sensorimotor stage.
B. preoperational stage.
C. concrete operations stage.
D. formal operations stage.
18. ______ is the ability to attend to the relevant aspects of the task at hand.
A. sustained attention
B. selective attention
C. relevant attention
D. task attention
19. ______ is the ability to maintain one’s concentration long enough to process and
comprehend the information.
A. sustained attention
B. selective attention
C. relevant attention
D. task attention
20. Trevor is often distracted in the classroom. In that, he consistently gazes out the
window and has difficulty listening to his teacher’s lectures due to outside noises.
Trevor has difficulty with
A. sustained attention
B. selective attention
C. relevant attention
D. task attention
21. The simplest method of organizing material is called
A. mediation
B. paired associate learning
C. input organization
D. grouping
22. Adrianna is able to remember events which have occurred two hours ago, but cannot
recall events from one month ago. She is having difficulty with
A. short term memory
B. sustained attention
C. long term memory
D. sustained attention
23. Learning from demonstration by others is referred to as
A. maturation.
B. direct instruction.
C. observational learning.
D. operant conditioning.
24. Speech problems most often seen in individuals with intellectual disabilities include
A. difficulties in articulation
B. difficulties with voice
C. stuttering
D. all of the above
25. Common health problems of individuals with Down syndrome include
A. lung abnormalities
B. a higher incidence of leukemia
C. eye and ear infections
D. all of the above
26. ______ is a neuromuscular disability that may result from damage to the brain at
birth or during the first four years of life.
A. cerebral palsy
B. multiple sclerosis
C. muscular dystrophy
D. PKU
27. Children with intellectual disabilities
A. are more susceptible to disease and illnesses.
B. are less susceptible to disease and illnesses.
C. are no more or less susceptible to disease and illnesses.
D. have a lower incidence of dental problems.
28. According to data from the 1999-2000 school year _____ of all students with
disabilities were served in regular school buildings.
A. 95.5 %
B. 85.5 %
C. 75 %
D. 60 %
29. Studies of IEP goals for students with mild intellectual disabilities indicate a strong
emphasis on
A. communication goals
B. behavioral goals
C. academic goals
D. social skills
30. In a study by Epstein (1989) nearly _____ of the students with mild intellectual disabilities
had speech and language disorders.
A. 98 %
B. 90 %
C. 85 %
D. 70 %
True or False
Directions: If the statement is true, simply mark True. If the statement is false, mark
False and rewrite the statement so that it is true.
1. Most professionals prefer the terms EMR and TMR when discussing intellectual
disabilities.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Educable mental retardation (EMR) refers to students whose programs emphasize the
training of basic functional skills.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. Adults who have mild intellectual disabilities are capable of securing and maintaining
employment and becoming economically self-sufficient.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. Borchreding (1997) noted that a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders occur in
children with intellectual disabilities than those who do not have intellectual disabilities.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. Children who have intellectual disabilities have the same basic physiological, social, and
emotional needs as children without intellectual disabilities.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
6. Individuals with mild intellectual disabilities have considerable difficulty with long term
memory.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
7. A disproportionate number of students who have mild intellectual disabilities are also
members of cultural or ethnic minority groups.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
8. Information presented to students who are mentally retarded should be organized into
meaningful parts.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
9. Paired associate learning focuses on verbal mediation as a means of learning responses.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
10. All children with cerebral palsy have intellectual disabilities.
a. True
b. False
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Discussion
1. Discuss the demographic characteristics unique to individuals with mild retardation.
2. Describe Piaget’s cognitive-developmental theory and its implication for students with
mild intellectual disabilities.
3. Discuss the sociobehavioral characteristics of individuals with mild intellectual
disabilities.
4. Discuss the need for including a more comprehensive approach when designing an IEP
for a person with mild intellectual disabilities.
5. Discuss what the academic focus should be for students with mild intellectual disabilities.
Include reasons for your position.
6. Discuss the general health conditions of people with mild intellectual disabilities.
7. Discuss the speech and language characteristics of individuals with mild mental
retardation, as well as the effect speech difficulties present for individuals with such
concomitant conditions as Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.
Answer Sheet
Multiple Choice True or False