Intellectual Functioning Limit: Beyond the assessment of the IQ
It is an evolutionary condition characterized by borderline cognitive functioning, which is a sort of borderline area between normality and intellectual disability.
Although it does not represent, therefore, a real disorder, in fact, this profile can become the object of clinical attention and is a condition in which the educational and psycho-pedagogical intervention is crucial. Pupils with Limited Intellectual Functioning are mentioned in the Ministerial Decree of 27/12/2012 on Special Educational Needs, as they are subject to school difficulties that hinder adequate learning and, therefore, require specific intervention by the teacher. These pupils do not present specific elements, therefore it is difficult to estimate their actual presence among the school population: according to Renzo Vianello (2008), the figure would be around 4-7%.
In line with what is reported by the DSM-5 (APA, 2013), the evaluation of the IQ is necessary, but not sufficient to define a condition of Limited Intellectual Functioning. It is the main cause but not the only element for a proper diagnostic evaluation. It is important to consider the different cognitive abilities and adaptive functioning: an IQ in the borderline range must be associated with the need for school support so that the pupil can respond adequately to the demands of his or her own life context. These pupils, in fact, have intellectual limits and adaptive problems which, while not precluding their inclusion in normal life, could make it difficult to respond to the demands of the school and the environment in which they are placed.
In fact, according to the scientific literature, the diagnosis of Limit Intellectual Functioning requires, in addition to a total IQ and adaptive skills between 1 and 2 DS negative, that the intellectual profile does not present elements of specificity, presenting some weak components but others in the norm (Cornoldi, Giofrè, Orsini and Pezzuti, 2014). It also requires that the person's weaknesses are not attributable either to other factors that would justify another diagnosis or to transient environmental, emotional, social conditions, such that the diagnosis may be lost.
In fact, the condition of cognitive borderline does not have the character of selectivity typical of specific disorders, nor a request for continuous support typical of intellectual disabilities.
It must be said, moreover, that the scientific literature is in a phase of evolution now, a condition due also to the lack of clinical attention that the condition of Limit Intellectual Functioning has had over time. For example, the issue of comorbidity between Limit Intellectual Functioning and other disorders is still discussed. In line with what is suggested by the DSM-5, situations of coexistence with other problems are very frequent: difficulties of attention and hyperactivity; difficulties in school learning; problems of behavior or personality, etc. It is currently controversial whether in these cases certain diagnoses exclude themselves or whether the reference to the presence of a double disorder in the presence of particular conditions is legitimate.
Intellectual Functioning Limit: the teacher's intervention
Within this clinical panorama, how can the teacher's intervention be placed in its didactic and pedagogical capacity?
A diagnosis of Limited Intellectual Functioning does not fall within the protection of Law 104/1992 and, therefore, does not imply the intervention or the need of the teacher to support the class in which the student is enrolled. However, some psycho-pedagogical considerations are appropriate.
In fact, for some students, the borderline condition at the cognitive level is linked to neurobiological factors, for others instead (following the words of the Ministerial Decree on BES cited above), it is only "a slight form of difficulty such that, if properly supported and directed towards the school paths more appropriate to their characteristics, those concerned may have a normal life. Educational and didactic interventions have, as always and also in these cases, fundamental importance. (Ministerial Decree 27/12/2012 - Intervention tools for pupils with Special Educational Needs and territorial organization for school inclusion).
The school can contribute, therefore, to make the student with Limited Intellectual Operation reach the highest level of functioning thanks to the strengthening of the skills (not only scholastic) of the same subject on the basis of a weighted analysis of strengths, on which the pedagogical and didactic intervention will be built. Competent behavior on the part of the educational figures is the basis of personal, social and scholastic well-being because it enables the child to perceive himself and others positively. Moreover, the competent intervention of the teacher plays a fundamental role in the development of self-esteem, which in these cases is often one of the most deeply rooted weaknesses. Attitudes of availability, acceptance, empathy, encouragement, and approval by the figures surrounding the child help him/her to develop positive feelings about his/her own abilities and to increase the sense of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997).
The teacher's intervention should not ignore moments of systematic observation that allow outlining a clear behavioral profile (especially in the case of problematic behaviors) and of the pupil's cognitive and scholastic abilities (think of attention times, metacognitive competencies, individual strengths, and resources).
It should be borne in mind that there are some typical manifestations of pupils with Limited Intellectual Functioning, such as, for example:
- Frequent failures spread over different disciplinary areas;
- the slowness of execution and difficulty in understanding the task;
- difficulty in understanding abstract concepts and performing exercises that involve logical skills;
- difficulty in implementing processes of generalization or transfer of learning from one context to another (for example, identifying the logical relationships between different disciplines and / or topics);
- difficulty in integrating old and new concepts and recognizing their links and hierarchies;
- difficulties in planning and organizing their activities in a timely manner;
- possible sense of inadequacy, low levels of self-esteem and demotivation towards all those school activities for which they experience more difficulties and failures.
What, then, are the appropriate teaching strategies?
First, it is necessary to point out that the Ministerial Decree on BES, already mentioned in this article, extends to all students with difficulties the right to personalize learning through compensatory tools and dispensation measures provided by the previous legislation for students with DSA (Law 170/2010). Therefore, one of the tools available to the teacher is the Personalized Didactic Plan (in case the Class Council decides to opt for the formalization of the didactic strategies). For BES not protected by Law 104/92 and 107/10, the drafting of the PDP is a choice of teachers and not a constraint. In any case, it is advisable to formalize the intervention when compensatory tools and dispensation measures are also necessary during the evaluation (checks and queries and State examinations).
The didactic strategies, formalized or not, must insist on the autonomy of the student with Limit Intellectual Functioning, through the strengthening of the processes of metacognition. Compensatory tools can help in this regard, as well as makeup for the slow execution (think of the calculator, Pythagorean table, forms, etc.). The child, however, must be able to use them in a conscious and, above all, appropriate way, otherwise, there is the risk of further hindering learning and stripping the pupil of responsibility and autonomy.
The teacher can also: provide clear indications about the activities to be carried out through transparent instructions and deliveries and that make use of concrete terms as much as possible; anticipate what must be learned, if necessary also opting for the division into sequences or using iconic supports to facilitate understanding and learning in phases; consistent with the time of attention, you can assume the use of computer tools for notes, multimedia materials, information research, online vocabularies. It is necessary to support the pupil in comprehension activities by subdividing complex topics into phases or steps and by highlighting key concepts, starting from proposals that he is able to manage, so that success is possible and that, the latter, acts as a reinforcement for self-esteem and sense of self-efficacy.
It should not be overlooked that sometimes, pupils with Limited Intellectual Operation need different times than the rest of the class for analysis, understanding and task performance. Above all, it is necessary to prefer alternative forms to what is the frontal lesson, since it now emerges clearly that the latter is a methodology that can only be reconciled with the style of learning of very few students and, certainly, can not be said to be a harbinger of inclusive teaching.
The child, in any case, must always be the protagonist of his own learning process, so we must not underestimate the motivational aspect, the real engine of this process.