SPE 351 Meanings of Intelligence and Adaptive Behavior
Meanings of Intelligence and Adaptive Behavior
David Baker
Grand Canyon University
Characteristics of Intellectual Disability SPE-351
May 20, 2015
Introduction: Although it might not seem to be a difficult task, one of the most highly debated issues in special education is the determination of a child’s eligibility into a special education program. One of the main reasons for this debate is determining intelligence, and what a child’s adaptive behavior is. For the purposes of this paper, the teacher candidate interview Mrs. Angie Ciolek, a special education teacher who works with students who have been determined to have an intellectual disability. During this discussion, Mrs. Ciolek shared many of her experiences, as well as some of her personal thoughts on intelligence, adaptive behavior, problems assessing students, and finally some of the characteristics of her students that resulted in them being eligible for special education services.
Intelligence: What is intelligence? How can it be defined, when it seems to be an individualistic characteristic? These are just a couple of questions in the debate over intelligence. The biggest misconception about intelligence is that it can be measured through an IQ test. While IQ tests are valuable pieces of information to have, they can’t specifically measure intelligence solely. Adam Hampshire, a PhD, psychologist, at the Brain and Mind Institute Natural Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada says, “There are multiple types of intelligence, and It is time to move on to using a more comprehensive set of tests that can measure separate scores for each type of intelligence” (Mann, 2012). His belief is that tests that measure these different types of intelligence should be used in making the determination of intelligence, because in one area of the brain and individual may show intelligence, but in another they may not, so the confusion becomes, are they intelligent or not (Mann, 2012)? In speaking
David Baker
Grand Canyon University
Characteristics of Intellectual Disability SPE-351
May 20, 2015
Introduction: Although it might not seem to be a difficult task, one of the most highly debated issues in special education is the determination of a child’s eligibility into a special education program. One of the main reasons for this debate is determining intelligence, and what a child’s adaptive behavior is. For the purposes of this paper, the teacher candidate interview Mrs. Angie Ciolek, a special education teacher who works with students who have been determined to have an intellectual disability. During this discussion, Mrs. Ciolek shared many of her experiences, as well as some of her personal thoughts on intelligence, adaptive behavior, problems assessing students, and finally some of the characteristics of her students that resulted in them being eligible for special education services.
Intelligence: What is intelligence? How can it be defined, when it seems to be an individualistic characteristic? These are just a couple of questions in the debate over intelligence. The biggest misconception about intelligence is that it can be measured through an IQ test. While IQ tests are valuable pieces of information to have, they can’t specifically measure intelligence solely. Adam Hampshire, a PhD, psychologist, at the Brain and Mind Institute Natural Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada says, “There are multiple types of intelligence, and It is time to move on to using a more comprehensive set of tests that can measure separate scores for each type of intelligence” (Mann, 2012). His belief is that tests that measure these different types of intelligence should be used in making the determination of intelligence, because in one area of the brain and individual may show intelligence, but in another they may not, so the confusion becomes, are they intelligent or not (Mann, 2012)? In speaking