Meanings of Intelligence and Adaptive Behavior, Research Paper Example

Mental retardation can be classified in many different ways, some formal and some informal; these all depend on the given discipline or service area of investigation (Brooks, Sperber, & McCauley, 1984). However, the basic classification of mental retardation can be restricted given the following definitions: 1) Degree of retardation, 2) educability, and 3) adaptive behavior (Rothstein, 1971). These three combinations can be utilized to be able to classify mental retardation. The degree or severity of retardation assumes that intelligence can be examined qualitatively measuring from the lowest to the highest levels of performance. This can be divided into categories of a basic standard according to IQ points (Brooks, Sperber, & McCauley, 1984). The next definition can be found in if the child with mental retardation can be educated, trained or taught.

Kirk (1962) defines a child who can be educated as “as one who has potentialities for development in (1) minimum educability in the academic subjects of the school, (2) social adjustment to such a point that he can get along independently in the community, and (3) minimum occupational adequacy to such a degree that he can later support himself partially or totally at the adult level.” (qtd. Brooks, Sperber, & McCauley, 1984)

The trainable child who may have mental retardation is defined by Kirk (1962) as “as one who, because of subnormal intelligence, is not capable of learning in classes for educable mentally retarded but who does have potentialities for learning (1) self-care, (2) adjustment to the home and neighborhood, and (3) economic usefulness in the home, a sheltered workshop, or an institution.” (qtd. Brooks, Sperber, & McCauley, 1984)

In order for the individual to compensate for some deficiencies he or she may have associated with learning and trainability, the growing interest in the child must be observed and based on adaptive behavior (Brooks, Sperber, & McCauley, 1984). These are the abilities, skills and responses of the child in a given environment. Adaptive behavior is seen as a collection of the many aspects in an individual’s behavior and is the function of the individual’s abilities as well as disabilities; these can affect the intellectual affective, motivational, social, sensory and motor factors which contribute to the overall adaption of the child (Rothstein, 1971).

There are many psychologists who believe and practice ideas which are conflicting. This has a great affect on their reports and interpretations. Educators need to be able to understand these reports as a basis for understanding certain individuals; they should be able to have some idea on the data being presented to them in psychological evaluations and assessments. There are those who believe that no tests are really valid when it comes to the estimates of mental level in an individual. Also, there are those who believe that you can get all the information you need in one test. Additionally, there are those who admit that the tests which are administered for a certain case is not satisfactory for a number of reasons such as hearing loss, reading difficulty, physical handicap, and so on.

Psychological test are samples of the behaviors as well as the abilities of an individual. In some tests, these samples can be limited as compared to others; however, no matter what the test, only samples are produced (Stoddard, 1943). There is some tendency to over-interpret the results of a test given the information and the direction the individual is being given. If we suppose that in individual being tested should be administered a particular test in order to get the best possible estimate, the test administered should be the same as the ones used in similar cases. However, the participant or the subject of the test might show some type of mal-coordination which affects his performance on the test. In this case, there should be some sort of battery used to be able to eliminate this mal-coordination in terms of the estimates which are obtained in the samples. These situations exist with individuals who may have problems with speech, hearing, reading as well as other handicaps (Stoddard, 1943). If this multiple style of testing is done, then the situation will most likely not occur where the examiner may make a comment in the end report that errors may have been produced due to the subject’s reading difficulty or handicap. After which, he will interpret the results with the limitation that there is a problem in terms of reading or other areas in the test, making the results inaccurate.

There are many tests which include the “validity, reliability, and objectivity” in the standardizations of tests (Stoddard, 1943). In most cases, these terms were used in the construction of some tests, if not all. However, there is a need to redefine these terms and the value of results when there is such a case when a particular test administered is for an individual who has some sort of disability which can be a factor for eliminating the validity the test was designed to obtain. This means that any feelings of an educator who might think this individual has factors that would result in the errors of results in the test administered would contribute to the result (Stoddard, 1943). These factors would contribute largely and influence the overall score of the test. The reliability in the test results would involve some influence on the educator’s feelings that there are accidental errors or inaccuracies resulting in the obtaining scores even before the scores are generated. This factor within the educator should be kept at a minimum. However, there are instances where an individual who is being tested will constantly look out the window or be distracted by things outside the test and the existing situation; these can be outside noises, persons passing by, or other things. It may be this case that some items in that test are inaccurate because of the terms of administering the test (Stoddard, 1943). All these things will account for the reliability of the test, and unpredictable errors may surface and affect the results. Any degree of these errors, such as those in connection with the amount of time it took an individual to complete a test should be pointed out by the educator.

Objectivity is difficult in tests administered to children with mental retardation (Stoddard, 1943). This is because in terms of the test results, one might involve personal errors which the evaluator or educator may feel is a factor of the child’s disability. This largely affects the overall results’ objectivity and standardization to a degree. This is when the point of view of the evaluator or educator involves very subjective points of view.

Assessments:

• Assessment Plans/Parent Consent for Evaluation
• Required Members of the Multidisciplinary Assessment Team for an Initial Evaluation
• Student Behavior During Evaluation
• Visual Processing Disorder
• Auditory Processing Disorder (Stoddard, 1943)

There are certain forms as well as checklists to be considered along with the assessment to determine if a child is eligible for special education, these procedures are as follows:

• Procedures for Determining the assessment measures for the Diagnosis of Autism
• Procedures for Determining the assessment measures for the Diagnosis of Emotional Disturbance
• Procedures for Determining the assessment measures for the Diagnosis of Specific Learning Disabilities
• Procedures for Determining the assessment measures for the Diagnosis of Mental Retardation (Stoddard, 1943)

The characteristics which might define an educable child whom has mental retardation be best viewed which are primarily built into a child (Rothstein, 1971). These characteristics are those which are representative of their intellectual, physical as well as their growth and development. Recent studies have shown that modifications in a child’s environment which include cultural, dialectic and educational measures, a child’s rate of physical and intellectual growth can be seen.

Administrators and educators make provisions for children with specific physical and mental handicaps such as brain injury (Stoddard, 1943). These provisions are designed to help the individual by accommodating to the learning and a behavioral problem which may arise out of their handicap, and this is not to correct the physical or mental condition itself. For educators, the nature of a physical or a mental handicap as well as its effects on learning and behavior of the educable varies per case. While it is necessary to obtain more knowledge about the basic natures of the handicapped, the first step is towards the modification and the accommodation of the classroom for the individuals.

Children with mental retardation still have the ability to learn and to adapt to certain environments (Stoddard, 1943). The degree of their ability to do these things varies per case. It is up to the administrator and educator to determine the degree of mental retardation, the capacity of educability as well as the adaptive behaviors in order for the correct facilitations and accommodations of the needs of the children with mental retardation. However, assessments regarding these factors may be disturbed by certain subjectivities and invalidities within the evaluator whom may administer exams for the individual who has mental retardation. Nevertheless, the individuals with mental retardation are still considered educable and trainable.

References

Brooks, P.H., Sperber, R., & McCauley, C. eds. (1984). Learning and Cognition in the Mentally Retarded. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates

Kirk, S.A. (1962). Educating Exceptional Children. Boston: Houghton Muffin.

Rothstein, J.H. (1971). Mental Retardation: Readings and Resources, 2nd ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Stoddard, G,D. (1943). The Meaning of Intelligence. New York: Macmillan.