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Strategies for teaching students with mental retardation

As previously said, the mentally retarded are not all same. They can be property categorised into various groups after being separated from regular people. The most widely recognised categorization, based on I.Q. and adaptive behaviour criteria, identifies four categories of retardation: mild, moderate, severe, and profound.

For educational care and programmes, mentally retarded children from these four categories of retardation can be classified as educable (mild), trainable (mild), and custodial (labelled as severe and profound). Consider the educational programmes designed just for these youngsters.

Educational programmes for the intellectually challenged (EMR). The educable mentally retarded (EMR) are deemed educable in the sense that they may be anticipated to acquire the basic academic abilities of reading, writing, and arithmetic if the instructions and learning environment are acceptable. Their maximal intellectual achievement, however, may be predicted to be comparable to that of a typical eight to twelve year old child. Most of them can quickly gain occupational skills required for future employment, preferably semi-skilled or unskilled work. The following aspects should be carefully taken into consideration when creating the educational courses for them:

Schooling of these youngsters may be delayed for 2 to 3 years.
They may get education in elementary mathematical concepts, comprehension of the household and community, and early development of excellent work habits during their early school years.

Formal reading and writing education should begin by the age of nine or ten.
Topics, themes, and learning experiences relevant to basic academic skills as well as basic skills for living with the environment as children and adults should be included in the curriculum for these children.
The school’s curriculum and cocurricular activities should place a greater focus on experience rather than abstraction.

In any event, despite their educability, these youngsters should not be expected to achieve the same degree of success as normal children of the same chronological age.

Educational programmes for the trainable mentally retarded (TMR)

TMR children cannot be educated in the same way that EMR children are. They can, however, be taught fundamental skills that will allow them to live dependent or semi-independent lives in the future. The following factors should be addressed while developing effective training programmes for them:

Self-help abilities such as independent eating, dressing, using the restroom, washing and combing their hair, brushing their teeth, using towels and handkerchiefs, etc., may be taught to them. They might be progressively taught how to carry out basic duties and follow instructions.

Then, they should be taught how to develop social skills such as welcoming others, playing with friends, taking turns on the road, according to health and safety regulations, etc.
Additionally, necessary instruction should be given for the enhancement of sensory discrimination and the development of motor abilities.
They should also be taught basic housekeeping skills including sweeping and dusting, washing dishes and clothing, ironing, sewing, and operating home items and equipment like the telephone, radio, and television.

Starting the instruction of fundamental intellectual abilities should wait until early adolescence. They should be taught very basic academic abilities, such as how to recognise common signs and symbols, how to utilise coins and currencies, and how to tell the time to the half or quarter hour.
Then, activities for teaching unskilled occupational vocations should be included in the curriculum. It should also contain leisure-related activities.
The training programmes for these kids must be fundamentally founded on principles of reinforcement such as token economics, contingency management, and other ideas of behaviour modification, in addition to offering actual and genuine experiences.