Education for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Summary

The video script highlights the significant progress in educating students with intellectual disabilities over the past decade. It emphasizes the shift from low academic expectations to recognizing their capacity to learn reading, math, and other core subjects. The script shares a story of a non-verbal girl who, with the right educational approach, demonstrated deep comprehension and literacy skills, challenging previous assumptions. It calls for equal opportunities for all students with intellectual disabilities to access general education curriculum and learn to read.

Takeaways

• 📚 Over the past decade, the academic expectations for students with intellectual disabilities have significantly increased, challenging previous assumptions about their learning capabilities.
• 🔍 Research has shown that students with intellectual disabilities can effectively learn academic content, including reading, math, social studies, and science.
• 🎓 The No Child Left Behind policy has been instrumental in ensuring that students with intellectual disabilities receive education in academic subjects.
• 🤔 Ten years ago, there was skepticism about the effectiveness of teaching academic content to students with intellectual disabilities due to doubts about the outcomes.
• 👧 The story of a non-verbal girl who learned to understand and interact with stories through adapted materials demonstrates the potential for learning in students previously thought incapable.
• 📈 The discovery that students with intellectual disabilities can learn grade-level content has transformed educational practices and expectations.
• 📘 Interactive read-aloud sessions with adapted stories can be a powerful tool for engaging students with intellectual disabilities in literacy.
• 🔑 The use of symbol boards and other adaptive technologies can facilitate communication and demonstrate understanding among non-verbal students.
• 📖 Beyond basic interaction, students with intellectual disabilities can learn phonics, decode text, and comprehend passages.
• 🌟 The progress made in the last ten years emphasizes the need for continued efforts to provide every student with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to learn to read and access the general curriculum.
• 🚀 Looking forward, the goal is to ensure that all students with intellectual disabilities have full educational access and the chance to learn in a general education context.

Q & A

What has changed in the perception of teaching academic content to students with intellectual disabilities over the past decade?

Over the past decade, there has been a significant shift from questioning the effectiveness of teaching academic content to students with intellectual disabilities to recognizing their ability to learn subjects like reading, math, social studies, and science. This change is supported by research and policies like No Child Left Behind.

What was the initial assumption about students with intellectual disabilities, especially those with moderate to severe disabilities, ten years ago?

Ten years ago, the assumption was that some students with intellectual disabilities, particularly those with moderate to severe disabilities, would not be able to learn to read due to factors such as their IQ or classification terms like 'trainable'.

How have recent findings challenged the previous assumptions about the learning capabilities of students with intellectual disabilities?

Recent findings have shown that more students with intellectual disabilities can learn to read and understand general education content in subjects like math, science, language arts, and social studies, contrary to the previous assumptions.

What role did the No Child Left Behind policy play in the education of students with intellectual disabilities?

The No Child Left Behind policy required that academic content be taught to all students, including those with intellectual disabilities, and it has been instrumental in driving research on how to effectively educate these students.

Who is Diane Browder, and what is her contribution to the discussion in the script?

Diane Browder is a colleague of the speaker who is introduced to provide examples and stories about the learning capabilities of students with intellectual disabilities, illustrating how they can learn and understand academic content.

Can you describe the story of the little girl who transformed the speaker's thinking about the potential of students with intellectual disabilities?

The story is about a non-verbal girl whose initial communication goals were limited to pointing to signs for 'toilet' and 'eat'. However, with the use of an interactive read-aloud adapted from a Disney movie, she began to interact with the story and show understanding by using a nine-symbol response board, demonstrating a deep comprehension of the story.

How did the little girl's understanding of the story evolve over time?

The little girl progressed from showing basic interactions with a story read aloud to demonstrating a deep understanding of the story by using symbols on a response board and even pantomiming actions related to the story's events.

What additional skills did the little girl learn beyond understanding the story?

Beyond understanding the story, the little girl learned phonics and was able to decode text for herself. She also learned to read and understand passages of text.

What was the significance of the little girl's progress in the context of the educational opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities?

The little girl's progress is significant as it challenges the previous belief that students like her would not have been given the opportunity to learn to read ten years ago, and it highlights the need for every student with intellectual disabilities to have the opportunity to learn and access the general curriculum.

What is the current stance on providing educational opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities according to the script?

The current stance is that every student with intellectual disabilities should have the opportunity to learn to read and have full educational access to all general curriculum content, with the chance to learn in a general education context.

What does the future hold for students with intellectual disabilities in terms of educational opportunities, as suggested by the script?

The script suggests that in the coming decade, there should be an emphasis on providing more students with intellectual disabilities the opportunities to learn to read and access the full general curriculum, reflecting a shift towards greater inclusivity and understanding of their capabilities.