Download the Journal (PDF) - Division on Autism and ...
Download the Journal (PDF) - Division on Autism and ...
Download the Journal (PDF) - Division on Autism and ...
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
States’ Eligibility Guidelines for Mental Retardati<strong>on</strong>: An<br />
Update <strong>and</strong> C<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong> of Part Scores <strong>and</strong><br />
Unreliability of IQs<br />
Renee Berger<strong>on</strong>, R<strong>and</strong>y G. Floyd, <strong>and</strong> Elizabeth I. Sh<strong>and</strong>s<br />
The University of Memphis<br />
Abstract: Mental retardati<strong>on</strong> (MR) has traditi<strong>on</strong>ally been defined as a disorder in intellectual <strong>and</strong><br />
adaptive functi<strong>on</strong>ing beginning in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> developmental period. Guided by a federal definiti<strong>on</strong> of MR<br />
described in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Individuals with Disabilities Educati<strong>on</strong> Act, it is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> resp<strong>on</strong>sibility of each of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> United<br />
States to describe eligibility guidelines for special educati<strong>on</strong> services. The purpose of this study was to<br />
examine eligibility guidelines for MR for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 50 states <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> District of Columbia. This study examined<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> terms used to describe MR, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> use of classificati<strong>on</strong> levels, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> cutoff scores, <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> adaptive behavior<br />
c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong>s for each state. In additi<strong>on</strong>, this study examined guidelines for c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong> of intelligence<br />
test part scores <strong>and</strong> c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong> of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> unreliability of IQs through c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong> of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> st<strong>and</strong>ard error<br />
of measurement (SE M) or an IQ range. As found in previous studies, results revealed great variati<strong>on</strong> in<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> specific eligibility guidelines for MR from state to state. The greatest variati<strong>on</strong> appeared to be across <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
adaptive behavior c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong>s. Approximately 20% of states (10) recommend c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong> of intelligence<br />
test part scores, <strong>and</strong> approximately 39% of states (20) recommend attenti<strong>on</strong> to unreliability of IQs<br />
through c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong> of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> SE M or an IQ range.<br />
Individuals with mental retardati<strong>on</strong> (MR)<br />
have been described in literature <strong>and</strong> historical<br />
documents for many centuries. Since<br />
around 1900, definiti<strong>on</strong>s of MR in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> United<br />
States have included three general aspects:<br />
deficits in intellectual functi<strong>on</strong>ing, impaired<br />
functi<strong>on</strong>ing in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> daily envir<strong>on</strong>ment, <strong>and</strong> <strong>on</strong>set<br />
during <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> developmental period (Sheerenberger,<br />
1983). Although <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se three criteria<br />
have been included in nearly all recent definiti<strong>on</strong>s<br />
of MR proposed by professi<strong>on</strong>al organizati<strong>on</strong>s<br />
(e.g., American Associati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> Mental<br />
Retardati<strong>on</strong> [AAMR], 2002; American<br />
Psychiatric Associati<strong>on</strong> [APA], 2000), <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> specific<br />
criteria within each domain have been<br />
more variable across organizati<strong>on</strong>s <strong>and</strong> over<br />
time.<br />
Deficits in intellectual functi<strong>on</strong>ing are usually<br />
defined by poor performance <strong>on</strong> normreferenced<br />
intelligence tests via IQs. IQs are<br />
Corresp<strong>on</strong>dence c<strong>on</strong>cerning this article should<br />
be addressed to R<strong>and</strong>y G. Floyd, The University of<br />
Memphis, Department of Psychology, Memphis, TN<br />
38152. Email: rgfloyd@memphis.edu<br />
Educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> Training in Developmental Disabilities, 2008, 43(1), 123–131<br />
© <str<strong>on</strong>g>Divisi<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> Developmental Disabilities<br />
often c<strong>on</strong>sidered reflecti<strong>on</strong>s of general intelligence,<br />
which represents intelligence as a single,<br />
global factor (Jensen, 1998). Research has<br />
established <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> predictive validity of IQs <strong>on</strong><br />
various outcomes, such as academic achievement<br />
<strong>and</strong> adaptati<strong>on</strong> to envir<strong>on</strong>mental dem<strong>and</strong>s<br />
(Brody, 1997; Neisser et al., 1996). The<br />
use of IQs to determine deficient intellectual<br />
functi<strong>on</strong>ing has been included in most definiti<strong>on</strong>s<br />
of MR across professi<strong>on</strong>al groups since<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> American Associati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> Mental Retardati<strong>on</strong><br />
(AAMR) first specified <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> use of intelligence<br />
tests in its 1959 definiti<strong>on</strong> of MR. Most<br />
current definiti<strong>on</strong>s adopted by professi<strong>on</strong>al<br />
organizati<strong>on</strong>s set <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> upper IQ cutoff for MR<br />
at two or more st<strong>and</strong>ard deviati<strong>on</strong>s below <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
populati<strong>on</strong> mean (i.e., IQs of 70 or below;<br />
AAMR, 2002; APA, 2000). Moreover, because<br />
some degree of measurement error is inherent<br />
in obtained IQs, many professi<strong>on</strong>al organizati<strong>on</strong>s<br />
now include an IQ range (e.g., IQs<br />
below 70 to 75) or specify that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> st<strong>and</strong>ard<br />
error of measurement (SE M) be c<strong>on</strong>sidered<br />
ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r than a strict IQ cutoff criteri<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Whereas IQs have l<strong>on</strong>g been used to satisfy<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> intellectual deficit criteri<strong>on</strong> for MR, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re<br />
Eligibility Guidelines / 123