Intellectually Disabled and Special Populations

Question 1

Down syndrome features:

Answer 1

• Stronger receptive than expressive language skills.
• Relative strength in pragmatic skills, receptive vocabulary and narrative skills.
• Strength in gesture use and imitation
• Closely monitor hearing status.
• Nonword repetition or memory-span tasks.

Question 2

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

Answer 2

• Have significant difficulties with syntactic elements of language.
• Strengths in receptive language skills.
• Differential diagnosis of FASD vs. ADHD is important.
• Hearing status due to craniofacial anomalies
• Feeding and swallowing

Question 3

Fragile X Syndrome

Answer 3

• Girls with FXS usually have less language delay than boys.
• Boys with FXS typically demonstrate moderate to severe delays in receptive and expressive language.
• Receptive and expressive vocabulary seems to be a relative strength for boys with FXS.
• Narrative abilities are a relative strength.
• Thorough speech evaluation.
• AAC systems could be considered.

Question 4

Angelman Syndrome (AS)

Answer 4

•Most children do not acquire speech and language skills sufficient to
use speech as the primary means of communication.
•Clinical features may include hand-flapping, stereotypic and/or
repetitive behaviors, and sensory preoccupations that may overlap with ASD.
•Important to differentiate AS from ASD.
•Many children may need an AAC evaluation.

Question 5

Categories of Intellectual Disabillity

Answer 5

•Biological Origin: Over 500 syndromes can cause ID.
•Cultural-Familial Origin: Those individuals for whom social, behavioral
or educational risk factors predominate. Impoverished environments,
malnutrition, lack of prenatal care, impaired child-caregiver interactions, parental abandonment.
•Mixed

Question 6

Adaptive Behavior

Answer 6

•The collection of conceptual, social, and practical skills that have been
learned and are performed by people in their everyday lives.
•Appropriate language, managing money, following rules, eating, dressing,
acquiring office skills.
•Assessments might include Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Adaptive
Behavior Assessment System.