Barriers to learning

1. Intrinsic Barriers
to Learning & Development in the
Foundation Phase Classroom
-Intellectual Impairments -
Presented by Dr Soraya Motsabi

2. CONTENT OVERVIEW
• Learning Units 2:
– Intellectual Impairments
Understand and
Identify Signs
Assess the
Learner’s Needs
Practically Support
the Learner
You need to be able
to….

3. BARRIERS TO
LEARNING
EMOTIONAL
BARRIERS
LITERACY BARRIERS
 SPOKEN LANGUAGE
 READING, SPELLING &WRITING
 SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING
 MATHEMATICAL PROBLEMS
 DISCALCULA
 ‘DYSLEXIA
INTRINSIC
LEARNING
BARRIERS
 ADHD
 INTELLECTUAL
IMPAIRMENT
 AUTISM

5. INTELLECTUAL
IMPAIRMENT
“Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well,
you're needed by someone.” - Martina Navratilova
Intellectual impairment
Mental handicap
Mental retardation
Mental disability
Cognitive
development
Cybernetic model for
teaching practice
Teaching learners with
intellectual impairment

6. Intellectual Impairments
Identifying, Assessing and Supporting
Study Chapter 23: Learning
Impairment from your
prescribed book:
Addressing Barriers to
Learning by Landsberg ,
Kruger & Swart (2011:399)
ADDESSING
BARRIERS TO
LEARNING: A SOUTH
AFRICAN
PERSPECTIVE
2008
CHAPTER 17

7. Defining Intellectual Impairments
• Significant limitations both in:
– intellectual functioning (learning, reasoning, problem
solving, memory, thinking)
–adaptive behavior (includes many everyday social and
practical skills)
• Origin before age 18

8. WHAT IS INTELLECTUAL
IMPAIRMENT
• Use of different terms over the years (idiot; retarded etc
unacceptable
• SA White Paper 6: disability and intellectual impairment adopted
• Important for teachers to equip themselves to be able to deal with
these learners
HISTORICAL
DEFINITION
• Widespread impairment
• 3.3% of overall population
• More males 3:2 than females
• More have mild intellectual impairment than severe
PREVALENCE
Sub average general intellectual functioning that originates in
the developmental period and is associated with impaired
maturation and learning, and social maladjustment.
Retardation is commonly defined in terms of intelligence
quotient:

9. Limited Intellectual Functioning

10. Intellectual impairment is a particular state of functioning. It is not a
medical disease or a mental disorder.
There is an internationally accepted definition for intellectual
impairment, developed by the American Association on intellectual
impairment (AAMR). According to this definition intellectual
impairment refers to substantial limitations in present functioning.
It is characterized by:
significantly below average intellectual functioning, existing
concurrently with related limitations in two or more of the
following applicable adaptive skill areas:
 communication • self-care
 home living • social skills,
 community use • self-direction
 health and safety • functional academics
 leisure • work.

11. Limitations in scholastic ability…
Mental retardation Level IQ Range Educational Category
1. Mild 50-70 IQ “Educable”; 85% of population of MR; Acquire Communication
and Academic Skills up to Grade 6; Vocational Training;
Supervision; Considered educable; Can get jobs later in life
2. Moderate 35-50 IQ “Trainable”; 10% of population of MR; Acquire communication and
Academic Skills up to Grade 2; Vocational Training; Supervised
personal care, work and living settings; Need structured
classrooms
3.Severe 20-35 IQ 3-4% of MR population; little or no communicative speech;
familiar with alphabet, counting, sight reading survival words;
trained in elementary self care skills; simple tasks in closely
supervised work settings
4. Profound 20 and below 1-2% of MR population; cannot measure performance on IQ test –
too impaired / uncooperative to perform on it.

12. Limitations in these areas…
Intellectual
Impairments
Conceptual
Skills
Social
Skills
Practical
Skills
Language
Literacy
Money
Time
Number concepts
Self-direction

13. Causes of intellectual impairment
External causes/ Extrinsic factors
• Poverty
• Linguistic deprivation
• Low literacy levels of parents
• Poor nutrition
• Unsuccessful child rearing practices
• Lack of motivation
• Lack of schooling
• Environmental toxins
• Medical conditions eg HIV/AIDS
• Labelling
Internal Causes/Intrinsic factors
• PRENATAL CAUSES
• Chromosomal abnormalities leading to
Down syndrome (WATCH VIDEO)
• Phenylketonoria (Watch Video)
• Fragile X syndrome
• Fetal alcohol syndrome
• OTHER FACTORS
• Smoking
• Drug abuse
POST NATAL CAUSES
PRENATAL AND PERINATAL
CAUSES

16. Consequences of
intellectual
impairment for
learners.
- Physical aspects
-Moral aspects
-Self-concept
-Social aspects
-Personality aspects
-Independence

17. Role of the Teacher
The 4 Levels of Intensities and Supports (from least TO
most intensive and supportive)
1. Intermittent
2. Limited
3. Extensive
4. Pervasive

18. STRATEGIES OF
CLASSROOM
MANAGEMENT
Allow for many break
throughout the
school day. Children
with MR may require
time to relax and
unwind.
Always speak directly to the
child so he can see you.
Never speak with your
back to him
Build a foundation of success
by providing a series of
short and simple
assignments.
Encourage interaction
with children without
disabilities.
Assign jobs to the child
in the classroom so that
he/she can feel success
and accomplishment.
Monitor the child’s diet.
Some children with
MR are on very strict
diets..
Encourage interaction
with children without
disabilities

19. Teacher Skills required to work with
Intellectual Impairments
• Know and understand side effects of medications on learning
• Know personal characteristics of learners
• Work as a member of a support team:
– class support team or
– institutional level support team
– district based support team
– informal support
• Know and use Learner in Context Assessment and Support
Profile
• Know support strategies for developing cognitive and
metacognitive (monitoring and control) abilities

20. Learner in Context Assessment and
Support Profile (LCASP)
• A model to visually organize information.
• Helps teachers: screen, identify and assess difficulties and plan for individual
support.
• Helps assess change and functioning over time.
• Tool for the teacher’s critical self reflection.
• Factors to consider when compiling a support plan:
– Predisposing/precipitating/intensifying intrinsic factors as barriers to learning
– Learner’s strengths
– Contextual risk factors
– Contextual assets – classroom, family, school, education system
• Consideration to developmental history, physiological and physical
functioning; emotive (affective) functioning; cognitive functioning;
communication and behavioral functioning.

21. Case Study: “Skippy Nkosi”
Skippy Nkosi is 10 Years Old and in Grade 2 at Funda and you are
his class teacher. You have just started teaching his class having
taken over from the previous teacher who resigned because of
‘work stress’.
After observing him for a month, you are concerned about his
progress at school and decide to read his Learner Profile to get
some background information. In the Profile you find a
completed Informal Adaptive Behaviour Inventory, done by his
previous teacher. You can see that he needs support, so you
need to now fill out a Support Needs Assessment (SNA 1 & 2) –
School Level Intervention document.

22. Skippy’s Learner Profile
• What kinds of information would you look out
for in Skippy’s Learner Profile, specifically in
these sections:
–medical information section;
–early interventions services rendered,
–schools attended;
–areas needing ongoing support

23. Skippy’s Support Need Assessment
(SNA 1 &2)
• You suspect that Skippy is moderately intellectually
impaired, what things are you likely to state as areas of
concern?
• Describe how moderate intellectual impairment can
affect Skippy’s:
– Ability to communicate
– Ability to learn
– Behaviour and social competence
– Health, wellness and personal care
• What would you do differently to support Skippy with

24. 24
Recommend suitable play
and stimulation to parents
Maternal Depression
Caring for a child with developmental delay is very demanding.
Assess for depression:
• Are you ok?
• How are you coping?
• Do you feel that this is too difficult for you?
• Do you have time to rest or visit relatives and friends?
Poorly Simulating Environment
How do you play with your child?
How do you communicate with your child?

25. 25
Recommend suitable play
and stimulation to parents
Maternal Depression
Caring for a child with developmental delay is very demanding.
Assess for depression:
• Are you ok?
• How are you coping?
• Do you feel that this is too difficult for you?
• Do you have time to rest or visit relatives and friends?
Poorly Simulating Environment
How do you play with your child?
How do you communicate with your child?

26. • Identify and treat reversible causes of ID
• Alleviate suffering for child and family
• Promote healthy development towards
greatest possible independence.
26

27. Evidence-Based Treatments:
• Etiological treatment if cause is known and
treatable
• Parent skills training
• Behaviour intervention for challenging
behaviour
• Psychoeducation
• Physio/speech/occupational therapy (when
available) 27

28. • Family psychoeducation
 explain problem to carers
 give parents skills to support child development
 promote participation in family, school and community
life
 address psychosocial needs of carers
• Advice for teachers
• Manage risk/contributing factors
 hearing and vision problems
 nutrition
 maternal depression
 lack of stimulation
• Manage co-occurring epilepsy, depression and
behaviour problems
28

29. • Many effective parent training programs
available to reduce behavior problems and
increasing adaptive functioning
• In the absence of formal training teach
parents about promoting learning and
managing challenging behavior etc.)

30. 30

31. • Not much evidence for effectiveness
• Only use after comprehensive assessment and in combination
with psycho-social treatment
• Antipsychotics sometimes useful in crisis situations, short-term
use safer
• Doses: start low – go slow!
– Sensitivity to medication common in ID
• Co-morbidity (e.g. depression, ADHD) can be treated in the
same way as in non-ID children

32. • Which children with ID should be seen in pediatrics?
• Who should be seen in psychiatry?
• Who should receive community care?
• What training do workers in the community need to care
for children with ID?
• Who should deliver the training?

33. • Primary (preventing occurrence of ID):
– Prenatal: (toxins, infections incl. HIV)
– Peri-natal: (delivery, neo-natal screening)
– Post-natal: (immunization, treatment for
infections, safe and enriching environment)
• Secondary (halting disease progression):
– Discover ID early, provide stimulation for
optimal development
• Tertiary (maximizing functioning)
– Support for families

34. • American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
• Australasian Society for Intellectual Disability
• Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice
• Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
• Down’s Syndrome Association (UK)
• European Association of Intellectual Disability Medicine
• Independent Living Canada
• National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (US)
• National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (US)