This document discusses teaching science to students with intellectual disability (ID) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It defines ID and ADHD, provides criteria for diagnosis, and discusses levels/characteristics. Data shows students with disabilities score lower than peers in science. The document outlines accommodations for teaching science content, processes, and evaluation for students with ID and ADHD, including use of visual aids, physical seating arrangements, instruction in small steps, and behavioral supports like positive feedback. Accommodations aim to engage students and support ongoing changes in thinking.

1. Teaching Science to students with Intellectual
disability(ID) and Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)
Harneet Dhillon

2. Presentation Overview

Intellectual disability

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Accommodations in Teaching Science

3. Intellectual Disability
Definition of ID
Intellectual disability is a disability characterized by significant limitations in both
intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior, which covers many everyday social
and practical skills. This disability originates before the age of 18.
(American association of developmental and intellectual disabilities)
Demographics:

7.3 % of the students aged 6-21 identified with disabilities were in intellectual
disability.

Approximately 348,000 students were labeled with mild intellectual disability.

4. Criteria to identify ID
Low IQ
Deficits in adaptive
behavior
Long Term
problem
Affects
Educational
performance
•
70 or
below
•
Failure to meet
personal or
sociocultural standards
for personal
independence or
social responsibility
•
Limited functionality in
activities such as
communication,
independent living and
social participation
•
Not due to short
term factors
such as head
injury or
trauma.
•
Onset usually
during the
developmental
period
Educational
performance
affected in all
academic
areas

5. Levels of Intellectual disability:
Label Range of IQ Scores
Mild intellectual ability 50/55 to approximately 70
Moderate intellectual disability 35/40 to 50/55
Severe intellectual disability 20/25 to 35/40
Profound intellectual disability Below 20/25
Reference: Rosenberg, Westling, McLeskey,Special Education for today's teachers: An introduction

6. Attention deficit Hyperactivity
disorder(ADHD)
Definition of ADHD:
Brain based disorder that results in significant inattention,hyperactivity,
distractibilty or a combination of these characteristic
Demographics:

About 6.4 million children have received an ADHD diagnosis at some point

ADHD diagnoses have increases 16 % since 2007 and 53% in the past
decade.

Boys (13.2%) were more likely than girls (5.6 %) to have ever been
diagnosed with ADHD

Less than 1% are identified under IDEA as other health impaired.
Source : Center for disease control

7. Characteristics/Criteria of ADHD

Impulsivity

Hyperactivity

Inattention

Coexisting conduct problem

Coexisting academic problems
(Special Education for today's teachers: An Introduction, Rosenberg, Westling , McLeskey)

8. Data on performance of students with
and without disabilities
Why consider??

Data allows comparison of performance between students
with and without disabilities.

Performance levels indicate levels of what students know
and what they should have been able to do at grade level
measured.

Show the quantitative aspect of gaps that persist between
students without and without disabilities

9. Data from National Assessment of Educational progress for grade 8 Science

10. Teaching of Science
Planning for
engagement with
important
science ideas
Eliciting
students
ideas
Supporting on
going changes
in thinking
Evidence Based
explanations
2
3
4
1

11. Accommodations for ID
Content

Use of graphic or advanced organizer to recall
prior knowledge .

Audio recordings or video recordings to present
a lesson.

Powerpoint presentations with regular pauses to
discuss observations and assimilate newly
acquired information.

Written procedures or steps for laboratory work.

Large print material instead of regular print.

12. Process accommodations

Written instructions will be provided by teacher.

ID students will work with teachers during
hands-on activity tasks.

13. Evaluation

Students evaluation will be done through oral
responses dictated to scribe.

Extra time will be provided to complete the
required evaluation.

14. Accommodations for ADHD
Instuctional
Behavioral
Physical
Accommodations

15. Physical Accommodations:

Student with ADHD will be seated near teacher, away from
distractions.

Lab space would be organized with tapes marking
boundaries.

Putting day schedule of activities on wall to make the
things more predictable and easier transition from one
activity to another.

16. Instructional accommodations:

Instruction would be offered in small steps or 'trial'
units.

Animations and videos would be shown on
computer

Important/key concepts would be placed on wall

Written instructions/steps to complete activity

Instead of written responses, oral responses would
be recorded on speech to text software.

Visual cues and signals would be used to direct
towards finishing desired activities.

17. Behavioral accommodations

Video recording and display equipment to
provide a visual model of targeted behavior or
skill will be utilized.

Positive verbal and written feedback.

Weekly Communication with parents.

18. Conclusion
It is necessary for success of learning disable
that:

Their nature be better understood.

Needs be better defined.

Appropriate accommodations be sufficiently
made in teaching learning process.