Intellectual disabilities

Intellectual disabilities

TASK SIX

What terms were used early on to describe those individuals with intellectual disabilities? Historical people with intellectual disabilities (formerly known as mental retardation) were known by various names that reflected social prejudice and knowledge in those periods. Such names included mental retards, holly innocents, less than human, a burden upon society, mentally ill, sick, a menace to society, eternal children, idiots, mongloids, imbecile fools, and objects of pity.

1. Who are Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon? What contribution did they make in the field of intellectual disabilities?

Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon are two psychologists who developed the first IQ (intelligent quotient) test. The two develop the first intelligent test (Simon-Binet intelligence scale) after the French government tasked them with developing a test that would facilitate the identification of children requiring special assistance in education. The test focused on mental abilities such as memory and attention other than learned information such as reading, and math. The test was then revised and renamed Stanford-Binet and used to test students requiring special assistance. The Binet-Simon scale became the basis for the intelligent test used today.

1. Briefly describe eugenics? What is the difference in the two branches of eugenics?

Eugenic is a philosophy that became prominent in the 20th century suggesting that people’s genetic backgrounds were inferior to others. From this philosophy came the idea of improving the human race. Some of the people termed inferior on eugenics basis included the Jews, people of color, promiscuous women, and those with intellectual disabilities among others. There were two branches of eugenic namely positive and negative eugenics. Positive eugenics encouraged the elite families to give birth in large numbers in order to drown the inferior and undesirable genes from the society. Negative eugenic on the other hand was more fierce and advocated for the sterilization of the undesirable traits in order to completely get rid of them. Proponents of negative eugenics facilitated the institutionalization of people with ID where they were forcefully sterilized. Though people with ID have equal rights with other citizens various discussions are revolving around their sterilization up to date.

1. What were some of the social advancements that took place in the 1960s?

The 1960s was a decade of various social changes for persons with disabilities. One of the main noticeable issues that occurred in this decade is the acceptance and tolerance of people with disabilities. In 1960 president John F Kennedy launched plans to move the US toward community-based treatment facilities. The community mental health act also known as the Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act was passed in 1963. The act facilitated the construction of community based outpatient treatment centers. The centers provided treatment services for deinstitutionalized persons with intellectual disabilities. 1964 saw the provision of a legal mandate to protect people with disabilities through Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. 1968 saw the first national special Olympic held in Chicago.

1. Name the law President Barack Obama signed in October 2010. Briefly describe the significance of the law.

October 2010 saw president Obama sign Rosa’s law that was unanimously approved by the congress. The laws required the federal government to replace the word “mental retardation” with “intellectual disability” in federal health, labor policy and education. The law instills, respect, dignity and value to people with Intellectual disability. Since language means a lot the term mental retardation is outdated and has been used to degrade people with ID and thus replacing the term will minimize hurting people with ID and treat them properly. Usually what you call people is how you treat them and replacing the dehumanizing name with a better one means that person with ID will receive better treatment from the society.

6. Identify the following pioneers and describe their contribution to the field of

Intellectual Disabilities.

1. John Locke- His vision of the mind as a blank slate (tabula rasa) to be filled later in life by data obtained from sensory experiences. Therefore education plays a significant role in shaping the human mind. This vision played a great roles in influencing various approaches to intellectual disabilities. Locke’s showed that capacities for people with disabilities can be developed since ideas are developed from senses and via reflection. He therefore showed that people with mental disabilities can learn contrary to what was thought before.
2. Edouard Seguin- He was inspired by John Locke and developed various techniques for teaching children with intellectual disabilities based on the five senses. He also facilitated the establishment of (AAIDD) American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities which is the oldest professional organization focusing on intellectual disabilities. His ideas led to the formal classification of mental conditions with medical causes.
3. Dorthea Dix was a teacher and a nurse who facilitated the recognition of mental illnesses as treatable condition and not madness requiring imprisonments as many thought in the 1800s. She spoke on behalf of many people living with intellectual disabilities who were confined in jails, asylums and poorhouses. She travelled across various workhouses and prison in the US document the inhumane treatment the people with mental illness were accorded. Later in 1843 she managed to push for the establishment of legislation warranting better treatment for people with intellectual disabilities in Massachusetts. she moved her campaign to other states and later to other countries leading to the establishment of 32 mental hospital in the US and abroad.
4. Samuel Howe developed the theory that showed that intellectual disabilities were distinguishable by classifying them according to severity. He also placed much attention in helping disabled people live a dignified and productive life. He was against the imprisonment and institutionalization of people with ID and advocated for enlightenment treatment. He also pushed for the involvement of ID persons in everyday life other that separating them other members of the society.
5. John Langston Down is well known for his identification for Down syndrome the leading cause of ID. In his paper titled “observation on the ethnic classification of idiots” he suggested that various physical characteristic could be used for the identification of various conditions. Though he never had access to technology he identified that some people had similar characteristics.
6. William Ireland is well known for associating most ID cases to heredity. He argues that ID was associated with insanity and neurotic disorder. He was a pioneer in noting that certain IDs were common in certain families and was caused by an illness. He also identified various detailed physical features in humans that he associated with ID.
7. Henry Herbert Goddard helped develop the topic about clinical psychology that later helped in the establishment of law requiring IDs, deaf and blind people to be provided with special education in the public schools. He also enhanced the translation and distribution of Binet-Simon intelligence test in the United States. He assisted in the establishment of the first psychological study laboratory that enhanced the study of intellectual disability. Henry is also remembered to be the first person that testified in a court toward the limitation of defendant’s criminal responsibility based on subnormal intelligence.