Psych LiveWire
Identification and Assessment of Intellectual Disabilities, by Eirini Lammi
A person with an intellectual disability will usually be identified either at some stage before entering or during the school system. For students with a mild intellectual disability, however, difficulties with adaptive behaviour may not have been previously documented. Adaptive behaviour is the "effectiveness or degree to which the individual meets the standards of personal independence and social responsibility..." (American Association on Mental Retardation [AAMR]). A psycho-educational assessment needs to be used to determine a student's level of functioning and should be based on a variety of measures of intellectual ability and adaptive behaviour, as well as information from the family and, where available, other service providers. Instruments such as the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition; the Scales of Independent Behavior, Revised; and the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition should be used in the assessment of an individual's adaptive behaviour. The most frequently used tests in assessing intellectual ability are the most current revisions of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition and the Wechsler Intelligence Scales.
The formal psycho-educational assessment will determine the student's level of functioning and must include information regarding:
- academic and life skills;
- communication skills;
- sensory disorders;
- social-emotional development; and
- specific aptitudes.
A recent article titled “Assessing Intellectual Disability in Children: Are IQ Measures Sufficient, or Even Necessary?” written by Dr Susan Colmar, Amanda Maxwell and Leanne Miller (2006) discusses in details the assessment of children with intellectual disabilities, including operational definitions, psychometric factors and the use of tests to determine criteria for intellectual disabilities. The article suggests that school counsellors and psychologists should consider these issues when assessing children with probable or known intellectual disabilities, particularly when using IQ tests. The use of adaptive scales as an additional means of defining and measuring intellectual disability is also examined.
Download Assessing Intellectual Disability in Children: Are IQ Measures Sufficient, or Even Necessary?
Read more about
the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition
Read more about
the Scales of Independent Behavior, Revised
Read more about the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition
Read more about
the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition