Intellectual Disability Awareness
Advice and Strategies for Teaching Students with a Disability
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Intellectual Disability Awareness Brochure PDF [180kb]
What is an Intellectual Disability?
Approximately 3% of the Australian population have some sort of intellectual disability and may require support with daily living activities (CID).
A person with an intellectual disability is identified as having:
- difficulties with adaptive skills such as following and understanding directions, understanding abstract concepts
- an IQ score of less than 70-75
The above characteristics prior to age 18 In practical terms, having an intellectual disability may mean:
- the need for support (either short term or life-long) with some daily living tasks such as financial management, meal planning, accessing public transport or self care
- some difficulties with learning new information and understanding complex instructions
- some difficulties expressing and understanding language
For many people with an intellectual disability no cause can be identified. However, the most common causes of intellectual disability are genetic, physical or environmental in nature. These can include:
- genetic factors such as Down's syndrome
- physical factors such as prenatal (maternal infection); perinatal which affects the child during birth (lack of oxygen or injury); or postnatal (head injury, infections, accidents, encephalitis, meningitis, child abuse)
- environmental factors such as inadequate nutrition or health care
Positive Interactions in the Learning Environment
A person with an intellectual disability will have individual needs, just like everyone else. It is important to consult directly with the individual, and possibly their advocate, to determine the level of assistance and modifications needed.
- Treat the person with respect as you would others
- Talk directly with the person and not to the person accompanying them
- Attempt to use plain English
- The person may need help with everyday functions such as handling money, deciding which bus to catch or where to catch it, waiting their turn or standing in queues and so on
- Exercise patience when teaching a new skill and be prepared to revise the task
- Discuss age appropriate topics such as sport, television, theatre, music or news. Do not use reference material written for children
For people with an intellectual disability, the method of teaching and learning may need to be adjusted. For example, using pictorial and visual learning systems with practice can be more beneficial than large chunks of text.
Exploring innovative ways of teaching and learning is a positive practice that benefits all people, including people with an intellectual disability. People with an intellectual disability make a positive contribution to the community. Many people with an intellectual disability live independently or with support in the community working in various levels of employment and participating in social activities and facilities.
Communication Useful tips
- teaching in small steps with repetition
- speaking clearly using uncomplicated language and statements - plain English
- checking that the person has understood what has been said and being prepared to repeat what you have said using different words
- respecting the person's right to have a support person such as a scribe or tutor
- allowing sufficient time for the student to respond and to ask questions
- using a wider range of teaching strategies such as illustrations, pictorial systems, site visits or breaking down the activity to smaller, more achievable units of learning
Other sources of support
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