8.

5 Case Study: IDD

Milo is a kindergarten student at Highland Elementary School. Milo was identified as having an intellectual disability due to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) as an infant. He has been in an inclusive preschool setting from the age of 2. Ms. Young is a new (first year) teacher who has recently been told that Milo will be a student in her classroom. Ms. Young has many concerns about having Milo in her class because she was only required to take one class in her undergraduate program in meeting the needs of children with disabilities. Below is a list of questions that Ms. Young wants to discuss with her assigned mentor, Ms. Farlow, in order to develop a better understanding of how to assist Milo in succeeding within the general education classroom.

1. What specific characteristics do children born with FAS often exhibit that could adversely affect their academic success? These students can have mild to moderate intellectual disabilities as well as short-attention spans, hyperactivity, learning disabilities, and poor coordination.

2. How does the physical appearance of children with FAS differ from normal children? Their eyes may be small with drooping eyelids, the grove between the upper lip and nose may be absent, and the lower part of the face may seem flat.

3. In general, children with intellectual disabilities often demonstrate what type of differences in language, social skills, and self-care skills? They tend to be well behind their peers as far as developing these skills. Their language skills often need assistance from a speech therapists, they have can have difficulty maintaining friends as they are often not interested in the same things at the same time, and they have trouble remembering the importance and continuance of self-care. 4. How can Milo be fully integrated within the general classroom setting? If he has an IEP, he could receive extra help in class. He can receive this through tutors and other educators that could come in just to help him, peer buddies, technology made for those with disabilities similar to his own, and accommodations such as desk arrangements classroom setup etc.

5. In what way can Milos peers have a part in assisting in his daily educational tasks? They could participate in a peer-buddy program, in which students are given credits to help their fellow classmates in the general education classroom who have an intellectual disability.