Educational Psychology / Unit 8 EDP 0717 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Levels of Support
The idea
Severity of intellectual disability is now described by the support a person needs rather than by an IQ score alone. The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities names four levels of support, from least to most. Intermittent support is needed only occasionally. Limited support is regular but limited in time. Extensive support is ongoing and regular. Pervasive support is constant and intense, across settings.
In practice
Worked example: a student who needs help only when changing schools receives intermittent support. One who needs a job coach for a year after graduation receives limited support. One who needs daily help in class receives extensive support, and one who needs constant help in every setting receives pervasive support.
Where people slip
The levels describe the support needed, not the person. Classifying by support also points directly to what the school must provide, which a bare IQ category never did.
Your place on the trail
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