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What
others are saying about the needs of special education children
This comes in support of the notion that students with mental retardation, sometimes known as cognitive delay, intellectual disabilities, or developmental delay are well served educationally by training aimed at improving their functional skills. These skills are sometimes known as adaptive skills. The relative lack of adaptive skills, after all, represents a key defining trait of Mental Retardation. Skill areas such as using public transportation, dealing effectively with strangers in public, appropriate social behavior, personal hygiene, cooking, home maintenance and understanding the applied mathematics of personal budgeting are all typical areas of educational need for these students. Unlike learners of normal intellectual functioning, students with Mental Retardation do not tend to learn these skills incidentally, in the absence of specific instruction. Moreover, longitudinal follow-up research of young people with Mental Retardation reveals consistently that the ability to deal effectively with the real life demands of daily living and socialization are the most significant determinants of high quality lives as adults. It is apparent then that special education aimed at maximizing the life chances of children with Mental Retardation should include plentiful learning opportunities related to living independently or semi independently, depending on the level of cognitive delay and related handicaps. More specifically, meal planning and preparation, shopping, budgeting, appropriate social behavior in public places, and use of public transportation are all curricular areas which will contribute to the future success of children with Mental Retardation. I would be happy to discuss these ideas as they pertain to curriculum selection with interested parties at their request. Sincerely, Thomas P. Cooke,
Ph. D. (707) 664-3116
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