The document discusses the educable mentally retarded. It describes their characteristics including intellectual abilities around 50-80 IQ, academic skills around grade 2-6, social immaturity, and potential for semi-skilled work. It outlines the purposes of education as developing social skills, vocational training, independence, and minimum academic competencies. Principles of special education instruction include assessment, specialized materials, individualized teaching methods, and health support from nurses.

1. The Educable Mentally Retarded

2. The Educable Mentally Retarded child has
been defined as one has a potentiality for
development in
• Minimum educability in the academic
subjects of the school
• Social adjustment
• Minimum occupational adequacy

3. A Case Study
How many the growth pattern of the educable
mentally retarded be described?
• The IQ ranges from 50-55 up to 75 or 80.
• An educable mentally retarded child of 12 will
therefore have a mental age between 6 and 9
years.
• In height, weight, and motor coordination some of
the retarded children are higher than average
children but the majority of them are average and
below.

4. What are the physical Characteristics of
the educable mentally retarded?
• In height, weight, and motor coordination
most of them approximate normal children
• More handicaps of vision, hearing, and motor
coordination are found among educable
mentally retarded
• Generally, the educable mentally retarded
children come from substandard homes. Most
of them are inferior in sanitation and
attention to health care.

5. What are their Intellectual
Characteristics?
• They show low performance on verbal and
non verbal intelligence tests. The rate is
approximately one-half to three-fourths that
of average child.
• They show slowness in maturation of
intellectual functions needed for schoolwork
such as low memory for auditory and visual
materials, generally ability, language ability,
conceptual and perceptual abilities,
imagination and creative abilities.

6. What are their academic
characteristics?
• They are not ready for reading, writing,
spelling, and mathematics when they enter
school at the age of 6, until they are 8 or even
until 11. The delay is related to mental age.
• At the end of their formal school career, their
academic achievement will probably have
reacted grade2 or grade 6 depending upon his
mental maturation.

7. What are their personal and social
characteristics?
• They have short attention span
• They have low frustration tolerance
• Social values and attitudes generally correspond to
those of the home typical of low socio-economic areas
and areas of substandard housing.
• Their play interests are similar to children of their own
mental age than to children of similar chronological age
• There are more behaviour problems among the
retarded in proportion to their numbers than among
average children in intelligence.

8. What are their occupational
characteristics?
• The educable mentally retarded can learn to
do skilled and semi-skilled work at the adult
level
• Their success in unskilled occupational tasks is
generally related to personality, social, and
interpersonal characteristics rather than to
the ability to do the task assigned
• Their employment records show that
approximately 80 percent can adjust to
occupations partially or totally to support
themselves.

9. What are the purposes and objectives of
education for the mentally retarded?
According to Kirk and Johnson the purposes and
objectives are the following:
• To get along with their fellowmen; develop social
competence through numerous social
• experiences.
• To participate in the work for the purpose of
earning their own living through efficient vocational
guidance and training.
• To develop security and independence in the school
and in the home through a good mental Hygiene
Program.

10. • To learn the minimum competencies of
the tool subjects; reading, writing, and
mathematics.
• To occupy themselves in wholesome
leisure time activities
• To become adequate members of their
family and their community.

11. What principles of instruction are
included in special education?
• A special diagnosis for assessment purposes
should include medical, social, psychological and
educational evaluations before assigning to a
special class done at periodic intervals.
• Special instructional materials should be given to
them.
• Special remediation for specific disabilities are also
given.
• Instruction must utilize the best practices in
learning such as using many repetitions in a
variety of experiences, using exciting situations,
and presenting ideas in sequential steps.

12. What is the concern of nurses
working in schools?
The special diagnosis for assessment purposes
demands the service of nurses. They form the
part of team necessary for the required
evaluation. A positive attitude towards the
purpose is expected from the nurses. Health
records should be updated and well kept by
them for immediate reference by the other
members of team. A special health program
should also be maintained and supported.

13. The end.....