Tuesday, January 5, 2016

What You Should Know About Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities

By Jerry Murphy


Developmental or Intellectual disability was until recently known as mental retardation but this term is slowly becoming obsolete. It is a condition that is characterized by maladaptive behaviors and cognitive impairment. Affected persons have difficulties in learning new tasks and tend to fall short of the expectations of their social environment. There are a number of things relating to individuals with intellectual disabilities in Portsmouth, VA that we need to know so that we can help them better.

A majority of the cases of developmental abnormalities have no known cause. Existing theories implicate genetic, social and environmental influence. The good news is that most of them are classified as mild. This category includes persons that have an IQ of between 50 and 70. Children in this category typically show deficiencies in cognitive skill development and social behaviors in the classroom setting but cope quite well outside the classroom.

Children who have special needs should not be taught alongside those that are considered to be typically functioning. While they may learn most of the skills that are required, they tend to take a lot longer and will therefore appear to lag behind. Teachers need to adopt teaching methods that impart skills and knowledge in a more practical manner. The emphasis should be on teaching issues such as time concepts, money concepts, self-care and hygiene and vocational training.

Persons who have special needs have to be accommodated to make it possible for them to enjoy similar employment opportunities as everyone else. The degree of accommodation required varies depending on the extent of disability. Some of the accommodations that may be required include providing assistants to help with reading and interpretation of materials, direct demonstration of job techniques, replacing written tests with oral interviews and so on.

In adulthood, they lead near normal lives and usually live independently. Statistics show that a majority of adults with this disability are either unemployed or underemployed. Advocacy groups have made efforts to ensure that as many of them as possible get involved in community work.

Employers should not divulge the medical information of employees with special needs unless under special circumstances. These include, for example, when there is a need to initiate emergency treatment and such information is deemed necessary. It may also be required by insurance companies when one is making a claim.

During a job interview, asking about whether a prospective employee has intellectual disability is considered an act of discrimination. Asking for qualifications or job experience is, however, acceptable and one may easily discern the fact that the applicant has a developmental disability. If the prospective employee decides to disclose the information voluntarily, the employer can ask about the kind of accommodation that they would need.

Employers have a major role to play in preventing the harassment of these employees. One of the ways that this can be achieved is by creating written policies on how fellow employees and the management are to work with them (the employees with special needs). The policy should specify the course of action that is to be taken in the event that such cases are reported. Other methods that can be used include periodic training, staff meetings and employee handbooks.




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