Buendia, Gizelle NatsuHernandez, KriziaPanganiban, CendyTabobo, Anna Beatrice

TEACHING STRATEGIES IN HANDLING STUDENTS

WITH

INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

We all know that teaching students with special needs is not an easy job. It takes time and pure knowledge in order for an individual to interact with people with disabilities. Working with students with intellectual disabilities can be challenging for a new teacher. This article gives an overview of the characteristics of these students, as well as some practical hints on how to teach technology tools for teaching students with intellectual disabilities.

Teaching strategies are one of

the essential tools a teacher must

have in order to have a good practice.

One of the greatest challenges is to

provide a positive learning

environment for the students in your

classroom. Because each student has

his or her own unique set of physical

and intellectual abilities, perceptions,

and needs, the learning styles of your

students may vary widely. Every child

has a unique characteristic. Educators

and parents should incorporate a

variety of strategies that are best

suited for the child. Intellectual

Disability is currently used to refer to

a wide spectrum of

neurodevelopment disorders that

have the core features of impairment

in social interaction, impairment in

verbal and non-verbal, and restricted

and repetitive in pattern of

behaviour. If language does not

develop, it is reasonable that a

behavior or behavior disorder might

occur. Most nonverbal or language

delayed children have some type of

behavior problem (e.g., tantrums,

self-stimulation, property

destruction,

Aggression, social withdrawal) and it

is easy to see that these behaviors

came to function as the child’s main

form of communication. The

researcher believed that this serious

misbehavior in children with

intellectual disability should be

replaced with socially appropriate

behaviour. A lack of an effective

communication system associated

with increased tantrums, aggression,

and even self-injury. The lack of an

effective communication system is

one of the fundamental deficits in

children with intellectual Disability

and that often leads to behavioral

problems. Hodgdon (1999)

summarizes this concept nicely when

she states

“Communication difficulties can be a

primary reason for many behavior

problems”. Because of the nature of

Intellectual Disability and the many

combinations of symptoms that may

be present, there is no single specific

approach that has been identified to

take away all the symptoms of

intellectual Disability. There are

various types of therapies available

including behavior training and

speech therapy. The development of

“life skills” is important for children

with Intellectual Disability. Task that

promotes individualism give more

opportunity for personal choice and

to move freely in a community.

The ABA or the Applied Behavior

Analysis is one of the behavioral

approaches is based on a theory and

that is governed by antecedents and

consequences. The attitude of the

teacher is very important when it

comes to teaching students with

exceptionalities. It plays a critical role

in maintaining a successful program.

Negative and positive attitudes may

have a big effect to students when it

is showed to them. Theorists believed

that to teach a student successfully,

you must develop self-efficacy. Lack

of efficacy may be a hindrance that

creates concern for teachers

regarding the implementation of

services and programs because of

their lack of training and education.

Overall, all the teachers expressed

that they are in need of supports that

they do not have to successfully

integrate a student with disabilities

into the general education classroom.

Some special education teachers say

that they need but do not meet the

required appropriate class-size and

reported that they needed in-service

workshops with the general

education teachers. The teachers

reported that, the areas that they

feel their needs were being met were

in the areas of receiving support from

the principal and collaborating with a

specialist. The study reported that

most of the special education

teachers got the needed support

from the principal. However, teachers

feel that they lacked the trainings

needed to implement the instruction

successfully. They also felt that

sufficient time was not given to them

to prepare and they needed more

support in the form of getting smaller

class- size and assistance in modifying

the curriculum. Teachers feel that

they have inadequate knowledge and

trainings or collaborative teaching

opportunities. However, the results

from the study showed a more

negative outcome in the practice.

Understanding the current

knowledge and concerns of Special

education teachers can help in

remediating and supportive

procedures may be implemented to

improve programs.

The study reveals that, some changes

are necessary to enhance both

programs and teachers in order to

meet the learning needs of special

education. The author says that there

are two ways to a better outcome,

which are:

1. Undergraduate teaching

programs should require pre-

service teachers to spend time

observing and student teaching

in a classroom.

2. Middle school principals must

provide special educators with

specific training focused on

strategies for teaching difficult

topics to diverse students.

These teaching education

programs need to increasingly

include strategies for diverse

learners in all methods courses,

and including specific strategies to

teach challenging topics. Most of

the teachers find collaborative

learning very effective and having

a small group is the most effective

instructional strategies that they

use. From the variety of articles,

the responses reflect that

teachers are not getting

appropriate and adequate

supports or trainings. So it is

unlikely that they will not develop

self-efficacy. It will not be

implemented appropriately and

the students will not really gain all

of its genuine benefits

The findings of the study

revealed that majority of the

teachers have a positive attitudes

towards teaching in the special

education class. Most of the

teachers described that their

classroom experiences were

satisfactory. Although most of the

teachers consider having

appropriate training, the majority

would like to have more support

in the form of resources to

address students’ specific needs,

well trained instructional

assistants, knowledgeable

administration, and appropriate

collaboration time. Teachers feel

that the behaviors of some

students with disabilities take

away from instructional time and

they do not have the time to

implement instruction effectively.

An article entitled “Computer based

video instruction to teach children

with ID to verbally respond to

questions and make purchases in fast

food restaurant.” shows Computer-

based video instruction (CBVI). It was

used to teach verbal response to

questions presented by cashiers and

purchasing skills in fast food

restaurants. Instruction occurred

through simulations of three fast

food restaurants on the computer

using video captions, still

photographs, and voice recordings.

Generalization and maintenance of

skills were measured within the three

community fast food restaurants.

Results indicate that verbal responses

to questions and fast food restaurant

purchasing skills can be taught to

students with moderate to severe

intellectual disabilities through CBVI.

When using simulation (teaching

outside of the natural environment

where skills will be used) it is

important to closely replicate the

actual stimuli and responses found in

a natural setting to make things

realistic. One example to make a

realistic simulation, life-like scenarios

is through video technology. The use

of video recording can provide

multiple teaching examples, it can

replicate stimuli in the environment

and allow repetitive practice of skills.

Interactive learning can be generated

by combining video technology and

computer-based instruction through

software programs such as hyper

studio and PowerPoint (Microsoft)

which access video recordings saved

on the computer, an external drive,

or compressed onto CD-ROM. The

current study expanded on available

research by evaluating use of

Computer-based video Instruction

(CBVI) to teach verbal skills to

students with intellectual disabilities

within the context of functional

activities. Research shows how

helpful video modelling is. Video

recordings were made depicting the

entire process for verbally ordering

and using a fast food restaurant.

Video recordings served as models

and specific segments were delivered

by the computer-based program as

stimuli to elicit a response by the

student or following a student

response. An adult familiar to the

students and actual employees at the

restaurants appeared in video

recordings. Students viewed video

segments of the adult model

performing steps they would later

perform in the restaurant or the

restaurant cashier making verbal

requests (e.g. “Is this for here or to

go?”) and performing tasks (stimuli)

that the student would respond to in

the restaurant (e.g. giving change).

(Linda C. Mechling, Leslie S. Pridgen,

and Beth A. Cronin, 2005).

According to what the article said the

common pattern that is done inside

the classroom was very mainstream

and looks like it’s too boring to do on

a daily basis. The objective of the

study is to improve the classroom

arrangement and to improve the way

the lesson is delivered. If classes are

considered a purposeful activity

conducted as part of the overall

school life, however, the essence of

class studies for schoolchildren with

intellectual disability is not to obtain

information for class improvement

but to provide daily classes and

school life better suited to the

children. The education for students

with intellectual disability is just like

learning by doing. The teachers

should teach the lesson by applying it

through real situations. Students

learn through concrete experience.

According to Jiraporn Chano 2011,

the communicative instructional

model can control behavior

problems. Based on what we already

know about various strategies that

can help the behavioral problems of

autistic children, Chano 2011

proposed a comprehensive

communicative instructional model in

this research. The model is to draw

from and combine techniques used in

Picture Exchange Communication

System (PECS), Applied Behavior

Analysis (ABA), and Treatment and

Education of Autistic and Related

Communication Handicapped

Children (TEACCH). Chano 2011

named the model “PAT” using the

first letter of each technique

adopted. The PAT model has been

designed to be an integrated and

comprehensive model with a

sequential and logical process to

move from assessment to

educational programming, and from

less sophisticated to more

sophisticated goals. The time

required to move through the

program depends on the child.

Levels of Functioning Student having

Intellectual Disabilities

According to De Mesa, 2010,

student with intellectual disabilities

will learn new things but at a slower

pace than children in the regular

classroom. The capacity to acquire

skills depends on the severity.

Therefore, student with intellectual

disabilities will have a levels where

there are estimates how well a

person with intellectual disability will

be function as a child as adult. Six

studies describe how to identify and

evaluate how to use the supported e-

Text for student with mild to

moderate intellectual disabilities.

Although it is important to recognize

that each was conducted with a

learning conditions. Most of the

student with intellectual disabilities

will require more support audio

version of the text. Visual support is

form of pictures, videos, photographs

to increase comprehension of reading

materials for it is significance of the

students in this study. And visual

supports promote to increase the

generalization and maintenance of

the information. The instruction

should be provided so that the

student will learn how to use the e-

Text supports. In the last two studies,

students were taught how to develop

a graphic organizer to have an impact

on their comprehension. From the

studies summarize here, the research

in the areas of eText, AT, and

nonreaders with intellectual

disabilities are requiring a larger

investment of time to explore fully.

This discussion explores of

conducting research supported eText

as well as the implications of research

interested making text is more

meaningful in the lives of individual

disabilities. The eText supports

become readily accessible to student

with intellectual disabilities to

enhance their literacy materrials that

represented electronically. The

evaluation of AT supports how the

learners can lead the understanding

what support is to improve their

comprehension skills. Teachers

should aware of the eText

technologies because to integrate

them into a daily instructional lessons

and to provide the student for their

use in teaching. As stated in Balajthy,

2005, individual with intellectual

disabilities need to used will benefit

AT tools, and to access the beneficial

aspects of their lives. Therefore,

accessibility and understanding of

eText with students having the

intellectual disabilities is to have a

greater independence of their lives.

Students with severe intellectual

disabilities cannot read and write,

communication is needed so that

they will get or always interpret their

behaviors as their needs and wants. It

was believed in the past or even

today the students have severe

intellectual disability were

uneducable, they have no right to

access educational program but they

were acceptable to be in the house in

big institutions. We accept that

students can learn the skills and

participate in the life of their families

and part of their lives. Through

special education this developed the

practices and strategies to teach

functional skills to the learners of

intellectual disability. Special

Education, especially for students

with high support needs developed

teaching technology for behavior

analysis (Newmann, Marks, &

Gamoran, 1996). The quality teaching

can be met by thoughtful use of

range of teaching strategies (Gerten

& Baker, 1998). Therefore, students

with intellectual disabilities must be

taught some teaching technologies to

have an easy way of teaching them.

They need the guidance of their

family in their daily needs.

Teaching Strategies

Computer-based video

instruction (CBVI) was used to teach

verbal response to questions

presented by cashiers and purchasing

skills in fast food restaurants.

Instruction occurred through

simulations of three fast food

restaurants on the computer using

video captions, still photographs, and

voice recordings. Generalization and

maintenance of skills were measured

within the three community fast food

restaurants. Results indicate that

verbal responses to questions and

fast food restaurant purchasing skills

can be taught to students with

moderate to severe intellectual

disabilities through CBVI. When using

simulation it is important to closely

replicate the actual stimuli and

responses found in a natural setting

to make things realistic. One example

to make a realistic simulation, life-like

scenarios is through video

technology. The use of video

recording can provide multiple

teaching examples; it can replicate

stimuli in the environment and allow

repetitive practice of skills.

Interactive learning can be generated

by combining video technology and

computer-based instruction through

software programs such as hyper

studio and PowerPoint (Microsoft)

which access video recordings saved

on the computer, an external drive,

or compressed onto CD-ROM. The

current study expanded on available

research by evaluating use of

Computer-based video Instruction

(CBVI) to teach verbal skills to

students with intellectual disabilities

within the context of functional

activities. Research shows how

helpful video modeling is. Video

recordings were made depicting the

entire process for verbally ordering

and using a fast food restaurant.

Video recordings served as models

and specific segments were delivered

by the computer-based program as

stimuli to elicit a response by the

student or following a student

response. An adult familiar to the

students and actual employees at the

restaurants appeared in video

recordings. Findings in effective

methods for teaching writing

revealed that writing instructions

effects on various written expression

outcomes were aggregated by

averaging percentage of non-

overlapping data (PND) across

studies. Findings revealed that

strategy instruction was investigated

more frequently than other types of

approaches. Strategy instruction was

consistently found to be very

effective for teaching writing skills to

students with intellectual disabilities.

Students with disabilities are

provided with even fewer

opportunities to learn written

expression skills during their formal

schooling years in contrast to their

peers without disabilities (Berninger

et al., 1998; Erickson, Koppenhaver,

& Yoder, 1994). The differences

between students with disabilities

and their same age peers without

disabilities can be observed both in

their writing quality and quantity as

well as their knowledge of various

text genres (Graham & Harris, 1997).

There are some characteristics that

are generally associated with

intellectual disabilities that make

teaching written communication skills

a challenge. Individuals with

intellectual disabilities tend to

acquire skills at a slower rate and

have difficulty using strategies such

as rehearsing, conceptualizing (e.g.,

generating new ideas or connecting

sets of ideas to previous

experiences), transferring, planning,

organizing, and monitoring

(Arabsolghar & Elkins, 2000;

Banikowski & Mehring, 1999; Turner,

Dofny, & Dutka, 1994). These skills

may be improved by interacting with

written language (Kaderavek &

Rabidoux, 2004). In fact, despite

challenges that individuals with

intellectual disabilities face, there

have been case studies and other

research that suggest that individuals

with intellectual disabilities can learn

to express themselves rather

successfully through various forms of

writing (e.g., Kaderavek & Rabidoux,

2004; Kahn-Freedman, 2001; Pershey

& Gilbert, 2002). The teaching

strategies referred to, so far

educational assessment,

individualized instructional,

curriculum adaptations, and

partial/supported participation are

concerned were related to each

other. They all imply that student

with intellectual disability, whether

they are in a regular class or special

class should have an educational

program. Many teaching strategies

that will assist student with

intellectual disability can be

supported by appropriate use of

technology. Technology has become

an important part of all of our lives.

Most student use computers in their

school and even at home as well. If

students with intellectual disability

are denied access in technology, this

will only widen the gap between

students with disability and students

without disability. That is why

teachers nowadays use technology in

teaching to be fit in the society,

besides technology helps teachers

and students to communicate to each

other much easier, with the help of

technology teachers can easily deliver

their lessons. Students with

intellectual disability have difficulties

understanding written materials,

techniques that will provide them

with the skills necessary to fully

process individual words in

connected text and derive meaning

from the text should be taught for

clearer understanding. These findings

suggest that when given scientifically

based and rigorously intensive

reading instruction over an extended

period of time, these children

respond positively, making important

gains in literacy development.

Instructions must be systematically

and explicitly given, including all

reading components. It is also

needed to be repetitive in its use of

routines and must be highly

motivating for the students. Lessons

should be fully implemented by

teachers skilled in effective reading

instruction. Students with intellectual

disability always have a hard time

understanding reading materials

that’s why there is a need of large

amount of repetition to make

meaningful progress.

To summarize the review of

related literature, in this portion, the

researchers have combined all the

information gathered and analyzed

the items carefully and came up with

a new idea. Teachers who handle

students with different disabilities

have their own techniques and

strategies on handling them. We may

not avoid those teachers who lack

information when it comes to

handling students with disabilities.

But with the seminars and workshops

who feeds their knowledge, teachers

gain ideas on handling them

correctly. One of the common

disabilities is the Intellectual

Disability. For sure, this disability is

heard all over the world. We are

currently conducting a research

about this and we found out that

those teachers who handles children

with intellectual disability in the

Philippines is mostly aware on how to

handle a student with the said

disability. A student with this kind of

disability experiences slow learning. It

has its level of severity. One is the

mild level. In this level, the student is

having a hard time reading and doing

solving problems. They have weak

verbal comprehensions. Also, they

have the-so-called short attention

span. They get distracted easily and

they easily forgot information given

to them. Next is the moderate level.

In this level of severity, the student

experiences a hard time interacting

with other people. They are so

dependent with the people around

them. They are also self-sufficient

and they have a hard time using their

motor skills and speech. The severe

level of intellectual disability shows a

0% of the knowledge in writing and

reading. The student totally does not

know how to write or read. They are

uneducable and they have no right to

access educational programs. They

interpret their actions based on

others. They must have the attention

of another person in order to

communicate and have focused of

the attention with other person.

These children will be able to learn

basic self-help skills such as feeding

themselves and bathing. The

profound level of severity of a

student shows total dependency of

daily wants and needs. They

communicate through facial

expression, movements and sounds

because they nature in communicate

behaviour needs are difficulty

interpret and misunderstood. They

have less engagement to daily

activities. Communicative skills and

less activity level receive less

affection and experiences are more

care. Children with profound

intellectual disabilities have other

medical problems, such as cerebral

palsy, and may need nursing care.

They have delays in all areas of

development. The study shows on

how tangibles can support

independent for students with

intellectual disabilities. Student with

intellectual disabilities are reluctant

of others opinion and attitudes.

There are common general

characteristics of pupil with

intellectual disabilities like poor

verbal memory, poor logical

reasoning, and difficulties in

attention. Emotional skills and lack of

confidence are also their difficulties.

The study also shows lack of

confidence and initiative with

characteristics of the students. These

finding interventions with student

using tangible with support of

environment independent for

student with intellectual disabilities.

Teachers used the strategies that

demonstrates “one step at a time”

model wherein the students can

adopt on the speed that they can

perform. The most effective strategy

that the teacher used to the students

with Intellectual Disabilities is the

charts, pictures, figures and

everything that can be seen by the

students. In this strategy, the best

way in teaching them is through their

environment. Visual components are

the ones that are very useful in

teaching them. The teachers also

have to have their immediate

feedback on the students because a

delay in providing immediate

feedback may interrupt the cause

and effect on the student’s mind and

a probability that the point will be

lost.