Who Is It For?
The programme is designed for individuals whose intellectual functioning differs by two standard deviations below average, who consequently have deficits or limitations in conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills that emerged before the age of 18, and who need special education and support education services.
Characteristics
- Attention: Attention difficulties are common. A significant part of learning problems stems from them; attention tends to be distractible and short-lived.
- Memory: Recall is difficult and visual/auditory perception may be weak. The main difficulty is transferring learned information from short-term to long-term memory. Generalising and grouping information by relationship is challenging.
- Learning: Individuals learn as their peers do and continue to learn. The key difference is the pace — learning is slower.
- Language development: Language and speech are acquired through the same stages as everyone else, but progression through those stages is slower.
- Academic achievement: Difficulties appear mostly in reading and writing, reading comprehension and basic arithmetic. Abstract concepts are harder to learn than concrete ones.
- Social development: Skills needed for group acceptance may be limited and forming friendships can be difficult; self-concept is often weak.
- Psychomotor development: Physical growth (height and weight) is frequently consistent with peers.
As the degree of disability increases, so does the degree of difficulty in the areas above.
Our Approach
The programme aims to increase independent living skills for individuals with limitations in conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills. An individualised education plan is prepared according to each person's developmental level and priorities, and progress is monitored regularly.