Intellectual disability
Instruction Techniques | Implications for Sailing
Intellectual disability is present from birth or early childhood, or occurs during the developmental period (conception to 18 years). Special education, training and adequate support and medical treatment can help lessen its effects, but it is not curable. However, most people with intellectual disabilities are capable, with assistance, of learning about new situations and adapting to them. People with intellectual disabilities experience things which make us all human, but they learn and develop intellectually at a slower rate that average.
Three factors in combination determine whether or not a person has an intellectual disability.
- Significantly below average intelligence
- Shortcomings in everyday life skills
- Disability appears in the developmental period.
CAUSES
- Brain injury due to lack of oxygen at birth
- Brain injury during or after birth
- Disorders of metabolism, growth or nutrition
- Chromosome abnormalities
- Extreme prematurity
- Poor diet and inadequate health care
- Drug misuse during pregnancy (included excessive consumption of alcohol and smoking)
An instructor needs to be aware of some common denominators amongst the population of people with an intellectual disability. Any one individual may not display all of the following characteristics, but rather, some of these to varying degrees:
- Inability to think in abstract terms.
- Lack of decision making ability.
- Poor short term memory.
- Learning difficulties and generally few literacy/numeracy skills.
- Poor co-ordination and mobility skills (often due to lack of appropriate opportunity).
- Inconsistent concentration spans.
An instructor should be recognise that:
- People with intellectual disabilities may range from borderline to profound in their impairment.
- A number of physical disabilities are often aligned with intellectual disabilities.
- Often where there is no accompanying physical disability, this is some delay in physical development. The sailor may take longer to master physical skills.
- Patience and understanding are needed.
- People with an intellectual disability like other people, express frustration and anger. Because they so often find it difficult to do this verbally, it often takes the physical form eg. clenched fists, foot stamping, withdrawal, tears, sitting down and refusing to get up. Their frustration need not be feared, rather, they should be recognised, accepted and channeled into appropriate actions.
Those involved with instructing sailors with an intellectual disability should consider the following points:
- Make all sessions fun and enjoyable.
- The level of expectation is crucial. Generally not enough is expected of people with intellectual disabilities both physically and socially.
- The greatest area of difficulty and frustration for both instructor and sailors is communication. Keep verbal instructions basic and brief. Be clear, precise, deliberate and sequential, then reinforce your message.
- When demonstrating an activity be clear and participate so the person has visual examples to model the performance on.
- Don't presume a nod or shake of the head means the person has understood your instruction. Seek understanding of the instruction from the person.
- People with an intellectual disability learn more by doing than looking and listening. When teaching new skills move the sailors through the desired motion.
- Be specific in praise and encouragement.
- Break down skills into small teaching components, ensuring each part is learned fully before progressing. Review and repeat skills, and drill in many different ways and situation. Then reinforce. Remember also that reinforcement should be spontaneous and immediate.
- Be prepared to teach basic skills. Many new sailors will not have had the opportunity to learn or understand these skills.
- Keep practice time on specific activities short to avoid loss of concentration and boredom. Be sure to vary your activities and drills.
- Don't assume that these sailors will automatically know the inherent etiquette of sailing. Etiquette should be taught and practised regularly.
- Observe and talk with the person to become familiar with his/her individual physical and intellectual abilities.
- Activities and techniques can then be developed to provide challenges to meet individual needs.
- People with an intellectual disability may have little or no understanding of correct clothing.
- As with any instruction session, introduce new activities early in practice sessions before the individual becomes tired and vary the tempo of training to reduce the fatigue factor. Also, motivate with appropriate devices, positive feedback, points, individual recognition.
- Encourage the sailor to compete, above all, against personal performances.
- Many sailors with intellectual disabilities will be fully mobile. It is important to ascertain level of water safety skill they have and if necessary the sailor may need to wear a life jacket whilst at the sailing venue.
- While sailing, a person with an intellectual disability may become fearful and react in an unexpected manner. These sailors should be monitored closely until their level of confidence is ascertained.
- On the other hand, a sailor with an intellectual disability may show no concern for their own personal safety or the safety of others. Again initial close monitoring should be instigated.
